Transformers: All for One
by SingingFlames
Summary: Thundercracker and Skywarp try to figure out why their trine is being punished, and yet Starscream is strangely mute on the subject. No pairings. No OCs. UPDATE, CHAPTER EIGHT'S UP! Each chapter is a stand alone story.
1. Much

Title: All for One  
>Pairings: None<br>Rating: G  
>Warnings: None<p>

Author's Note: This is currently a one shot, but if people like it and comment, I'll add more one shot chapters. My humorous stories tend to focus on Bumblebee, so I thought I'd shake things up and try my hand at a funny Decepticon story. I hope Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp are not too OOC-ish (it's been years since I saw the G1 show and I mainly know them from the IDW comics). Time unit conversion – Nano-klik: ~ 1 second; Deca-cycle: ~ 3 weeks

* * *

><p>"Slaggit! This is ridiculous!" Skywarp ranted. "This is not our responsibility. It's … it's demeaning!"<p>

Forty-three, Thundercracker silently counted to himself. Forty-three outbursts. His trine brother had been complaining, loudly, since Megatron had assigned them to this cursed duty. Not that he blamed his wingmate. For unknown reasons, the trine had been assigned construction duty. Of all things, construction duty. They were hauling large metal beams over a mountain range. The slagging things were so heavy that the three of them – Starscream, Skywarp and himself – had to use harnesses on them and slowly fly them over the mountains. At this pace, they couldn't even use their altmodes.

"Using our superior skills for _this_! It's insulting!" Skywarp continued.

"Shut. Up. Sky. Warp." Starscream bit out each syllable.

That made thirty-nine 'shut ups' from Starscream, by Thundercracker's count. The other four times he himself had tired of his wingmate's grousing first. He began timing how long until Skywarp's next outburst. The intervals between each one were becoming gradually shorter. Soon, he believed he could accurately estimate when the next outburst would occur. If nothing else, the extra computations gave him something to do during this infernal duty.

"Surely you can see how absurd this is!"

Forty-four. And several nano-kliks sooner than Thundercracker anticipated. He filtered the new time into his internal equation.

"The best trine in the Decepticon army, and we're forced to do … Constructicon work?" Skywarp released one hand off the harness, waving at the beam they carried. The other two cried out in protest as it began wobbling. "Why us? If he needed fliers, why not some drones? Or the Coneheads? What idiocy possessed Megatron to do this to _us_?"

"Just let it go. And grab that harness before it falls!" Starscream hissed at Skywarp.

Thundercracker contemplated whether or not to add this to Starscream's 'shut up' count. 'Let it go,' was probably the mildest order the Air Commander had ever used for silence, but the intent was the same. It would be interesting if the tamer command effected the duration until Skywarp's next tantrum. Intrigued by the new variable, Thundercracker began cross-referencing the inflection of Starscream's commands compared to the time decrease between Skywarp's outbursts. Perhaps stronger inflections caused a smaller time decrease? The hypothesis was worth investigation.

While he compiled numbers, he also considered the irony of Starscream refusing to engage in a discussion of Megatron's faults. Their trine leader usually pounced at the chance to ridicule the other mech. It was almost unheard of for him to miss an opportunity. In fact, it _was_ unheard of …

Thundercracker halted, forcing the other two to do the same or risk unbalancing the beam. They squawked at the abrupt stop. Ignoring their protests, he turned to Starscream.

"What did you do?"

"What do you mean?" Starscream replied, too quickly.

"We 'mysteriously' pull the most humiliating shift imaginable for Seekers, and yet it's Skywarp – not you, _not you!_ – who's complaining about Megatron. When have you ever _not_ carried on about our glorious leader? Yet Skywarp brings it up, and you tell him to, 'let it go.' _What did you do?_"

Skywarp turned shocked eyes to the Air Commander. "Screamer?"

"Don't call me that! And I didn't do anything," Starscream glanced away, "… much."

"What!"

"Much?" Thundercracker replied at the same moment. "What didn't you do 'much' of?"

Starscream attempted to shrug, but the metal beam's immense weight made the motion impossible while airborn. Instead, he twitched his wings. "It was just a small clerical error. Keep moving. This is heavy."

"Actually, I feel like putting it down. 'Warp, that sound good to you?"

"Down sounds real good to me," Skywarp replied. Suiting actions to words, he dropped altitude without warning. The others scrambled to match his decent, trying to keep the beam from toppling from their grip. They dropped it unceremoniously into a shallow stream bed.

"Amazing," Starscream said, once they stood on solid ground. He considering his trine. "I didn't realize we'd joined the Autobots, becoming a democracy, taking votes. All that tripe."

"No, not Autobots," Thundercracker snorted. "We're Decepticons. With that comes the responsibility to question our leaders, confirm that they deserve our loyalty. Is that not what _you_ always say?"

"Cute." Starscream's optics narrowed.

"So." Thundercracker crossed his arms. "'Clerical error?'"

"Yeah, what does that even mean?" Skywarp asked.

Starscream threw his arms up in disgust. "It was nothing. Remember when the Aerialbots attacked our supply depot, three deca-cycles ago? Several munitions crates were destroyed. I assisted in the clean up. A few crates of explosives were mistakenly reported as destroyed. Some Constructicons discovered them recently, undamaged."

Skywarp glanced at Thundercracker, then back at the Air Commander. He shrugged. "That's it? Finding extra weapons is usually a good thing. That's glitched."

"Precisely my point. It was nothing."

Thundercracker had plenty of experience listening to Starscream's narratives and, more important, listening to what was not said. He raised an optic ridge. "Where _exactly_ did they find these explosives?"

Starscream awarded him with an annoyed glance. "Is that important?"

"Yes. Even more so now, since you don't want to answer."

Skywarp's shoulders slumped as he considered his trine leader. "Screamer, you didn't …"

"Do not call me that!" Starscream growled. Glancing between the two other Seekers, he shook his head. Surrendering, he listed off the coordinates where the crates had been found. Coordinates that were not only no where near the supply depot, but actually on the far side of their base from it.

"You must not have hid them very well, huh?" Skywarp asked, shaking his head.

"They were hidden. They were in a cave. I collapsed the slagging entrance. There was no way to see them, or the cave."

"But … ?" Thundercracker prompted.

"I don't know. Maybe someone else saw me over there. For whatever reason, our glorious leader sent the Constructicons to the area. 'For raw materials,' I believe the excuse was. It took them a few deca-cycles, but they found the crates."

"Did you ever consider, y'know, moving them once you realized they were digging over there?" Skywarp asked.

"I don't credit the Constructicons with an access of mental prowess, but they might have noticed me flying in empty-handed, and flying away loaded down with crates. Especially if Megatron sent them there to investigate _me_."

Thundercracker shook his head. Starscream stockpiling explosives didn't surprise him. When it came to ways to overthrow Megatron, his trine leader was always exploring new and creative options. It took more than a few crates of munitions to surprise him anymore. Although he had to ask, "How many other stashes do you have, that Megatron doesn't know about?"

"I'm shocked, Thundercracker," Starscream replied, sounding anything but. He didn't even attempt to hide his smirk. "Concealing weapons and explosives would be deceitful and traitorous. A loyal Decepticon would, of course, turn all munitions he obtained into base, where they would strengthen our cause. Suggesting I would do otherwise insults my," Starscream waved a hand idly, considering, "my … integrity. My honor. I am upset you even consider me capable of such duplicity."

The three Seekers glanced between each other. Then Skywarp burst into laughter. Even Thundercracker couldn't hold a straight face. With a wicked grin, Starscream pretended to buff a scuff from his arm.

"That's hilarious," Skywarp said. "Seriously, though, if you'd hid that slag better, Megatron wouldn't have found it."

"Please," Starscream scoffed, "do you know how long I've been able to hide weapons from him?"

"Apparently, three deca-cycles," Thundercracker raised an optic ridge. "After all, to suggest otherwise would insult your integrity and honor."

"Yes, of course," Starscream said, innocently, "three deca-cycles."

Thundercracker rubbed his temples. He was developing a processor ache: a common side effect when dealing with too much of Starscream's rationalizations. "Fine. Whatever. This still doesn't explain how 'Warp and I got dragged into," he gestured at the neglected beam, "this."

"Oh. _That_." Starscream looked away.

"Yes, _that_." Thundercracker crossed his arms.

"I'm sure interested in _that_ too," Skywarp chimed in.

Starscream shrugged. "Megatron was unimpressed with me having the explosives – "

"Imagine that," Skywarp interrupted, glancing at Thundercracker.

" – and informed me that if I enjoyed playing in the dirt, he could find something 'suitable' for me to do. Then he assigned me to move these." Starscream kicked the metal beam.

"Assigned you. Not us. _You_. At what point did we get volunteered for this?" Thundercracker asked.

"I pointed out a flaw in Megatron's logic." The Air Commander shrugged again.

"Wait," Thundercracker raised a hand, stalling him. "Let me guess. You informed him that these are far too heavy for one Seeker to carry?"

"Basically, yes."

"Thanks, Screamer. Really, I mean that." Skywarp muttered.

"Stop calling me that!"

"What, exactly, did you think he'd do once you pointed that out?" Thundercracker asked, rubbing his temples. Yes, he was definitely developing a processor ache.

"I thought he'd give me something, _anything_, else to do. _I _didn't want to haul these things around. Would you?"

"Funny you should ask," Thundercracker replied, "because, no, really I _don't_ want to."

"Why didn't Megs just beat the slag outta you? That's what he usually does." Skywarp didn't pretend to sound concerned about his Air Commander's physical well-being.

"Yeah, well, he did that too," Starscream grumbled.

Thundercracker considered his trine leader, arms crossed. "I suppose I should thank you. After all, if I weren't here, doing this wonderful chore because of you, I would be probably be doing something even more tedious: like attacking Aerialbots, or fighting Autobots, perhaps blowing something up. You know, boring stuff like that." He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "But now, I have the exciting opportunity to explore a new career as a Constructicon. Thank you, Starscream."

"Shut up," Starscream said, but without any vehemence. "Are you two done complaining? We still have to get these slagging things moved."

The two wingmates exchanged glances. "Why should we help you? This is your punishment."

"Because if you don't, I'm won't finish this. And when Megatron comes asking why we're not done, he won't just come after me. You'll share any punishment I get. So, by all means, do nothing. Enjoy Megatron's wrath. I know he will." Starscream leaned against a boulder, crossing his arms.

"I hate you," Skywarp muttered.

"C'mon, 'Warp. Let's get this slagging thing moved." Thundercracker motioned to his trine brother, shaking his head. Turning back to the Air Commander, he asked, "One more thing, is there anything else you're up to that's going to come back and bite us in our collective afts?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Starscream replied, hand over his spark. "I'm the picture of innocence."

"Great," Skywarp growled. "We're dead."


	2. Hide!

Title: All for One – Hide  
>Pairings: None<br>Rating: G  
>Warnings: None<br>Author's Note: This is technically the second chapter of my All for One story line, but it's completely standalone and can be read without reading the first chapter. The main premise for these ficlets is one group member getting the entire group punished for something he's done; a new take on the phrase 'all for one.' Comm transmissions are marked with colons – ::like this.::

* * *

><p>"Hide!"<p>

"Hid – ? Wha – ? Why? And, slag it Skywarp, I have a door!" Thundercracker growled at his trine mate. The black and purple mech had just materialized in the middle of his quarters, ignoring, as always, such common place courtesies as doors and knocking. Thundercracker leaned back in his berth, turning back to his datapad, and tried to tune out his fellow Seeker.

"I know you have a door! Who cares? We gotta go! Find someplace safe – " Skywarp wrung his hands, eyes darting between his wing mate and the closed door.

"_I_ care," Thundercracker interrupted. His voice remained calm, in stark contrast to Skywarp's. "I've told you before not to teleport into my room. Or, at least to ask first. Use the door."

"Will you forget the slaggin' door! We gotta hide. _Now!_"

"What did you do?"

" … Um, nothing?"

Thundercracker covered his optics with one hand. "Really. 'Nothing?' Then why do we need to hide?"

"Well … " Skywarp dragged the word out, "okay, maybe 'nothing' isn't quite the right word. See, the thing is, it was a complete accident."

"Amazingly, that doesn't surprise me at all. What was – "

"Quiet!" Skywarp hissed. He pressed an audio receptor against the door. "He's coming! Let's go!" He dashed over to Thundercracker – ignoring the other's frantic attempt to gesture him away – and grabbed his arm. In a flash of purple light, they vanished.

Thundercracker cried out as he suddenly dropped. Skywarp had teleported him in the same relative height and position – reclining at about waist height – but he arrived with nothing under him. The resounding crash filled the small chamber as he fell on his aft. He glared at Skywarp and pulled himself back to his feet. "You're dead. I'm going to kill you."

"I just saved your life!"

"What are you talking about? Will you please tell me what is going on? And why am I hiding in … where am I?" Thundercracker gazed around the crate-filled room. Obviously, a storeroom of some kind, but not one he recognized.

"Lower level storage. I come here sometimes when I need to be … somewhere else." Skywarp shrugged.

"And that's, what, every other day or so?"

"Funny." Skywarp crossed his arms, glaring.

Thundercracker matched both his stance and glare. "Now, tell me what's going on? Why do you think you 'saved my life?' And," he held up a hand, stalling his wing mate, "don't tell me about accidents or whatever."

Skywarp rubbed his chin, thinking. He threw up his hands in defeat. "Fine, sure, whatever. Oh, um, you might want to disengage your comm link. Just in case."

"Just in case of what? Oh, never mind." Shaking his head, Thundercracker shut off his main comm, more to humor his wing mate than anything else. "Now talk."

"Well, the Constructicons always give me a lot of slag – "

"And we all know you've _never_ done anything to deserve that," Thundercracker interrupted, his vocals filled with sarcasm.

"Exactly. Anyway, recently they've started comparing my flight skills to that of a chicken, and making these weird monosyllabic noises at me: sounds like, 'bok, bok, bok,' over and over again. I'm sick of it!"

"'Warp, do you even know what a chicken is?"

"Of course I do," the purple and black mech scoffed.

"You do?"

"Yes." Skywarp nodded. Then shrugged. "It's a local bird. I think."

"It's this planet's fastest, most lethal, avian creature. That 'bok' noise? That's it's war cry. It screams that right as it dives in for the kill."

"Really?"

"No."

Skywarp glared at his trine brother for a moment. "I hate you."

"Right now the feeling's mutual. So. You were upset because they compared you to a bird which you didn't even know was flightless – "

"Flightless?"

"Shut up. You _didn't know that_. But you were still upset anyway, just because you're you. What then?"

Skywarp grumbled to himself, muttering vague comments about 'flightless' and 'showing them.' Thundercracker cleared his throat, a habit picked up from the local sentient lifeforms. Glaring at him, his trine mate scowled. "Well, I was tired of them and their snide remarks, so I decided to show them who was really the chicken. So, I ransacked a human supply place, y'know where they go to trade stuff, and stole a bunch of their head cushions."

"What? Head cushions? You mean 'pillows.' What do pillows have to do with chickens and Constructicons?" Thundercracker asked, staring at his wing mate with morbid curiosity.

"Feathers, of course."

Thundercracker rubbed a hand over his face. "Feathers. Right. Obviously."

"Thing is, most of the pillows didn't have feathers, just white fluff. I got some feathers, but mostly fluff. I figured that was close enough. So, then I broke into Hook's lab, and nabbed a couple barrels of his industrial adhesive."

Thundercracker slowly lowered his hand, optics widening.

"The glue barrels were big, and so was the crate with the feathers and fluff. I couldn't hold all that. So – actually, I'm kinda proud of this – I set up a sensor and a contraption to open the barrels when I hit a button. When the sensor trips, I hit the button, the glue falls and – splat! – the mech's covered in it. Then all I have to do is teleport in with the feathers – "

"'Warp … you didn't … please, tell me you didn't … "

"Well, I could say I didn't. I'd be lying, though."

"You glued feathers on the Constructicons?" Thundercracker covered his optics with a hand.

"Um."

Thundercracker peeked at the other Seeker through his fingers. "You _didn't_ glue feathers on anyone?"

"Um."

"_What?_"

"It should have been Scrapper and Mixmaster. I saw them head that way. It _should_ have been them." Skywarp held his hands up in surrender.

"Are you telling me you didn't _even look_ before dropping two barrels of glue and then feathers on someone?" Thundercracker's hand clenched as he restrained himself from throttling the purple Seeker.

"Well, I couldn't put them somewhere the cameras would see, now could I? I was watching the Constructicons on the cameras. They were headed the right way. And then the sensor went off. I had to be fast or the glue would miss them. So I hit the button and warped in, throwing the feathers. It, uh, wasn't the Constructicons." Skywarp muttered the last words.

"Who, 'Warp? _Who_ was it?"

" … Shockwave."

"You … you glued … feathers … on _Shockwave?_" Thundercracker vocals could barely produce the words. "You're dead."

"Um, we're dead, actually."

"No. There's no 'we' here. 'We' didn't do this. You did. You're dead."

"Well, actually, it's kinda humorous … "

"Nothing you can say right now could be humorous."

"When I realized who it was, it occurred to me that if Shockwave was mad at one mech, then maybe he'd only be half as mad if there were two of us to be mad at. So, uh, I may have yelled your name before I warped out of there."

"Brilliant." Thundercracker glared at his trine mate. If he killed the purple mech, could he still convince Shockwave that he was innocent? Or maybe just pummel him within an inch of his life, then turn him over to the one-eyed Decepticon as a peace offering?

::Starscream to Thundercracker.::

Thundercracker stiffened in surprise. He had disconnected his main comm – at the idiot's request – but the Seeker's had devised their own, private channel. Starscream was utilizing that channel now.

::Thundercracker here.::

::Tell Skywarp to turn his comm on.::

::Copy.:: Aloud, he said, "Starscream says turn your comm on."

"I can't. I took the components out. Tell him sorry." Skywarp shrugged.

::The idiot says he broke his comm.::

::Remind him that I know all his hiding spots _and_ I know a certain mech who wishes to find him.::

::With pleasure.:: Smirking, Thundercracker relayed the Air Commander's threat.

"Slag it." Skywarp glared unseeingly around him. He shook his head. ::Hi, Starscream.::

::Now that I have both of you, will someone _please_ explain to me why I'm currently listening to Shockwave explain – in agonizingly long, painful detail – how pranks are 'illogical,' 'serve no meaningful purpose,' and are 'potentially destructive.' He won't shut up. I had to turn down my comm. I'm actually hoping Megatron comms in, so I can tell Shockwave to shut up. Consider that. He's annoying me enough, I'd rather talk to _Megatron_. He's also mentioned both of you. Repeatedly.::

::Why would he bug you?::

::You're an idiot, Skywarp. Until Megatron returns, I'm in command. Any disputes come to _me_. As Air Commander, any problems concerning the Seekers are brought to _my_ attention. And, as trine leader,_ I_ am personally responsible for both of you. Much to my chagrin.::

::Ah. Oops.:: Skywarp replied.

::Idiot. What did you two do?::

::Actually, you need ask, 'what did Skywarp do,' because I had nothing to do with it,:: Thundercracker corrected.

::I. Don't. Care.:: Starscream bit out. ::What happened?::

::Well, it was an accident, really. The Constructicons were – ::

Thundercracker interrupted, ::Skywarp glued feathers to Shockwave.::

Silence. After several moments, the two Seekers exchanged looks.

::Hey, Screamer? You still there?:: Skywarp asked.

::You glued … _feathers_ … to Shockwave?:: Starscream said with oddly strained vocals.

::Yeah?:: Skywarp dragged the word out, unsure of the other's reaction.

::You know, it occurs to me that, as Second In Command, it's my responsibility to personally assure Shockwave receives complete and proper care.:: Starscream laughed. ::Let's see … He's in the washracks right now.::

::What?:: Skywarp asked.

::I have to see this,:: Starscream translated, still chortling. ::Don't think I'm letting you off, though. Shockwave sure won't.::

* * *

><p>The three Seekers surveyed the glue-soaked hallway. Skywarp carried several wire scrubbing tools, while Thundercracker held two canisters of cleaner. Behind them, Starscream stood arms crossed, optics alternating between the mess and his trine mates.<p>

"This isn't fair," Skywarp groaned.

"No, what's not fair is having your wing mate set you up to take the blame for something you didn't do. Then being forced to share his punishment because no one cares," Thundercracker grumbled, glaring at the black and purple mech.

"You're right," Starscream replied. "No one cares. Stop your grousing and get it done. And it's more than fair. You made the mess. Well, one of you did. So, you clean it up. You should be thankful. Shockwave wanted to use you for his experiments." The Air Commander smirked at their horrified looks. "I pointed out how your absence would weaken our aerial forces. It would be 'illogical' to waste your strengths in such a manner." He spread his arms wide. "You're welcome."

"Please don't mention anything with the word 'logic' in it." Skywarp winced. "I can't believe you recorded all that slag he said to you. _And_ made us listen to it. That was torture."

"How do you think _I_ felt?" Starscream asked. "I had nothing to do with your idiocy, and yet I was subjected to that verbal punishment."

"I can sympathize with that," Thundercracker muttered.

"And if I had to experience that, so did you. Now, clean this up. I'm bored." The Air Commander leaned against the wall.

Skywarp crouched down. Gingerly, he reached out a finger and touched the mess on the floor. "Ick. It's still wet. And sticky."

"It's the Constructicons' industrial adhesive. That slag doesn't dry until it binds to something. Which is why we're cleaning it up: before random Decepticons start getting stuck trying to walk through here." Thundercracker shoved a cleaner canister into Skywarp's chest.

"Can you imagine that? It'd be hilarious." The black and purple Seeker laughed, then quieted suddenly. "Well, unless Megatron got stuck … "

Starscream burst into laughter. "No, you're right. That would be hilarious."

"'Warp? Start cleaning before _he_ gets any ideas." Thundercracker nodded toward their trine leader. He nabbed a scrubbing tool from his wing mate.

"Wait a klik, TC." Skywarp considered the glue-covered floor. "This stuff is flammable, right? Wouldn't it be much faster just to light our thrusters and light it – "

"_No!_" both Starscream and Thundercracker yelled in union. Thundercracker continued, "There's a main fuel line under here. It leads straight to the reactor. Please, no fire!"

"I can hide some things from Megatron," Starscream added, shaking his head, "but trust me, he'd notice if we blew up the _Nemesis_. Not that we'd be around for him to punish. Enough stalling. Clean. Scrub. I don't want be here any longer than necessary."

"Y'know, Screamer, you don't have to stay." Skywarp glanced over his shoulder at the Air Commander. "Don't you have important … um, something to do?"

"Don't call me that! And, yes, I do. But the moment _I_ leave, so will _you_. Even if I lock all the exits, you'll leave. Not only will I have to listen to even _more_ of Thundercracker's complaints, but Shockwave will undoubtedly realize what you did. I refuse to listen to any more of his squawking. Just hurry up."

The other two Seekers exchanged glances. Thundercracker turned back to his trine leader. "If you're in such a hurry, you _could_ help."

"I'd rather watch."

"That's fine." He regarded his wing mate. "Hey 'Warp, with just you and me doing this, we should finish this just after second shift gets off. We can hit the mess after." Skywarp stared at him, confused. He explained, "Rumble likes to go there. I was thinking it might be nice to have a chat with him. We could talk about … oh, say, our energy raid a few days ago."

"Um, TC, that raid was a _disaster_. Megatron was livid," Skywarp said.

"You're right. We all got pretty scrapped. Oh, wait. Not all of us. You got out without a dent, didn't you, Starscream? Interesting that. Hmm. Anyway, we should meet up with Rumble. I feel a sudden need to tell someone about this Seeker I saw who was off messing with the energon, when we were _all_ ordered to attack the Autobots. You were next to me the whole time, 'Warp, and none of the other Seekers were there. Except, of course, you Starscream. It's too bad, because if that Seeker had been in the air with us – _like he should have been_ – the raid would have gone differently. I'm sure Megatron would love to know about that."

"I've told you," Starscream spoke slow and evenly, "many times, I saw Cliffjumper enter the facility and I pursued him. I was busy fighting him, when our 'great' leader ordered us to attack. I couldn't join you."

"I'm not questioning you or your story," Thundercracker said with a shrug. "And I'm not going to tell Megatron anything. I just wanted to ask Rumble's opinion on that unidentified Seeker I saw. I'm sure he won't tell anyone either. After all, he's very discreet." Skywarp smothered a laugh behind his hand. Fighting a grin, Thundercracker continued, "Besides, who would he tell? Soundwave? It's not as if Soundwave tells Megatron _everything single thing he hears_."

"Are you blackmailing me?" Starscream asked, optics narrow.

"Of course not. You're my commanding officer. And my trine leader. Blackmailing you would be," he paused, searching for the proper word, "disrespectful. I'm merely pointing out a likely course of events, assuming this task takes us a long time to complete. Of course, if you were to _help us_, we would finish too soon to meet with Rumble. In fact, I'll probably forget about the whole raid by the next time I see him. But, either way's good by me."

"Here's a third option," Starscream added, raising his null-ray, "I could just shoot you."

"True," Thundercracker agreed. He crossed his arms and shrugged. "But do that, and it'll only be Skywarp cleaning this hall. And we both know how long it takes him to do something when he doesn't want to do it. You'll be stuck here for days. And I'll get out of cleaning."

Starscream considered the blue Seeker, gun still trained on his chest. The fingers on his other hand tapped a measured beat against his leg. After several moments, he cursed quietly and lowered his weapon. He shook his head in disgust. "I hate you."

Thundercracker stepped sideways, making a space between himself and Skywarp. With a grin, he gestured Starscream over to the empty spot. Glaring at the other two, the Air Commander stalked over and grabbed three scrubbers. He pushed the extra brushes into his subordinates' hands.

Confused, Skywarp said, "We've already got scrubbers … "

"And you have two hands," Starscream countered. "If I have to do this, then you get to work twice as hard."


	3. The Boring One

Title: All for One – The Boring One

Pairings: None

Rating: G

Warnings: None

Author's Note: This is a stand alone story, although it's technically the third part of this series. This can be read without any previous knowledge of the others, although there is a passing reference to the second story. The theme behind these ficlets is one member of the Elite Trine (Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp) gets the whole group into trouble. Talking through comm channels is shown, ::like this.::

* * *

><p>"This has become tedious, Skywarp. Stop boring me with your lies, and tell me what you did!"<p>

"Ha! That's funny coming from you, Starscream, the master of lies! I didn't do anything, and you know it! I'm completely innocent. I refuse to be blamed for whatever _you_ did this time."

"You are many things: moronic, juvenile, stupid, irresponsible, repugnant." Starscream counted the words out with his fingers. "The list goes on and on. But no where on that list does the word 'innocent' appear. In fact, 'guilty' is on there. Twice. For emphasis."

Thundercracker stood to the side, watching his trine mates' argument grow increasingly louder. They were in the _Nemesis_' docking bay, which currently housed maintenance supplies for their sunken home. In theory, the three Seekers should have been gathering their supplies for the arduous task of sealing the hull against the corrosive sea water. (A slow, processor-numbing task, which involved dragging a specialized applicator across the ship's surface to spread the sealant. The entire process took days. And, as far as Thundercracker could tell, was completely pointless. The _Nemesis_ was crafted with the highest grade materials. No mere salt water could damage it. Yet, whenever Megatron was particularly annoyed with someone – and beating them into spare parts would let them off too easy – he assigned this task to them.) Instead, Starscream and Skywarp took this opportunity to blame each other, loudly, for the trine's current situation. Thundercracker leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching them.

"I'm not 'repugnant!' Is that even a word? I'm not any of those things! You're just pawning your punishment off on us! Like always! We're sick of it!" Skywarp jabbed his finger into his trine leader's chest plate.

"Remove that finger or I will. Permanently." Starscream scowled at the other mech, until Skywarp lowered the offending digit. "Your persistence amazes me. What do you hope to gain by pursuing this charade? Just drop it, and tell me what you did!"

Thundercracker glanced at the bay's security camera. They were taking too long. Before long someone would notice they weren't out there working. If they didn't start soon, Megatron might order them to seal the hull twice. He winced at the thought.

"I keep telling you, I didn't do anything! But you know that already! So, _you_ 'drop it' and tell us what _you_ did to tangle Megs wires up so much!"

"You know, as well as I do, that when our 'mighty' leader's mad at me, he usually beats the slag out of me. Assuming he just doesn't shoot me. He hasn't done either. That means that you did something!"

"It was me," Thundercracker spoke up.

"No, it just means you blamed me for something! You do that all the time!" Skywarp continued, without pause.

"I did it."

"I wouldn't be able to blame you all the time, if you weren't always doing something wrong!" Starscream yelled.

"Is anyone listening to me?" Thundercracker waved his hand. "It's my fault."

"Maybe if I had a decent Air Commander, I could do stuff right!" Skywarp countered.

"You can't even walk down a hall without messing something up! Or breaking something, or taking a 'detour.' You're impossible!"

"Hello?" Thundercracker rubbed his chin, thinking. "Unicron's outside with a bouquet of roses. He's preaching galactic peace and wants to buy us a round of high grade."

"_I_ mess things up? What about you? How many times have you tried to take over the Decepticons, and slagged that up?"

"At least my ambitions run higher than practical jokes and petty pranks!"

"Nothing, huh? Hmm." Thundercracker nodded. "The sun imploded. It's become a black hole, and it's devouring this system. We have maybe a minute left, then we're all dead."

"But at least I have fun! All you do is scheme, mess it up, then blame your trine mates! Which reminds me, what did you get us into this time?" Skywarp glared at the Air Commander.

"Stop already! This is pointless, when we both know I didn't do anything!"

Thundercracker tilted his head, considering. He snapped his fingers, his optics brightening. "Megatron died. But with his dying breath, he named Skywarp his successor."

"Wait, what?" Starscream held up a hand, silencing Skywarp. The Air Commander turned to Thundercracker. "What did you just say?"

"Figures." The blue mech threw his hands up in exasperation. "You are so predictable. What I've been trying to say, but you two have been too noisy to hear, is that this," he gestured around the bay, "is my fault."

"But what did you _say_?" Starscream insisted.

"I lied. Three times in fact. I was trying to get your attention and you wouldn't listen. So I said Megatron died and left Skywarp in command."

Skywarp burst into laughter. Starscream opened and shut his mouth several times, but no sound came out. He finally shook his head. This set Skywarp into further peels of laughter. Starscream turned to the cackling Seeker. "Shut up!"

Skywarp muffled himself down to intense giggling, but still did not stop. Every time he glanced at his trine leader caused a fresh case of snickering. Thundercracker shook his head. He opened a private comm channel with his fellow Seeker. ::Uh, 'Warp, it wasn't that funny.::

::So, if I'm the new leader, can I make grumpy faces and beat up Screamer every time he opens his mouth?::

"Do not call me that, and no, you certainly may not," Starscream interrupted aloud, his optics narrowing.

Thundercracker and Skywarp turned to him, shocked.

"You cheated! That was a private channel! You're not supposed to listen in," Skywarp pouted.

"You're forgetting who established the Seekers' comm channel, and our private comms." Starscream shook his head. "As if I'd give you that, and not grant myself complete access to it. I'm the only one who can listen to anything you lot say." He tilted his head, considering. "Well, probably Soundwave too. I doubt there's any system he can't get into."

"Wait a klik." Skywarp held up a finger. "Back up. TC, did you say this was your fault?"

"Yes." Thundercracker shrugged as his trine turned their attention back to him.

"Did Screamer put you up to this?" Skywarp asked.

"What?" the other two asked in unison. Starscream added, "And stop calling me that!"

"Well, he must have. You never get in trouble, TC. You're the boring one."

"I'm the _what_? What do you mean, 'the boring one?' I'm not boring." Thundercracker turned to Starscream. "Am I boring?"

The Air Commander shrugged.

"It's okay to be boring. Really." Skywarp nodded, smiling reassuringly. "You're … reliable. Yeah. If we need you, we always know that boring ol' TC's ready. That's a good thing, right?"

Thundercracker glared at the black and purple mech.

"Do you think about what you say, or do you simply vomit out whatever words enter your processor?" Starscream mused.

"Did you know the humans have a condition like that," Thundercracker muttered. "They call it Tourette's."

"Why would I know that? Better question: why would I _want_ to know that?" Starscream asked. "Why do _you_ know that?"

"He watches TV," Skywarp snickered. "Something called the _Discovery Channel_."

"'Warp! Shut up!"

"You watch … _what_?" Starscream asked.

"TV!" Skywarp chortled. "Told you. Boring!"

"I suppose I could be like you," Thundercracker retorted, glaring, "gluing feathers onto Shockwave – "

" – that was an accident – "

"Doing it to Shockwave was an accident, the glue and feathers _were not_. Or I could mess with the base's comm system, and cause it to crash so horribly that it can only receive one channel: a human radio station."

"That was _you_?" Starscream turned on Skywarp, who shrugged.

"It was an acc–"

"It's always an accident!" Thundercracker growled. "But Soundwave couldn't fix your 'accident' for days. We had to listen to that," he searched for an appropriate word, "that ruckus the humans call 'Country.' I have no idea what a 'Garth Brooks' is, or why humans would want to have a marathon for it, but that was pure agony."

Starscream winced, rubbing his temple. "I never want to hear about an 'Achy Breaky Heart' again. That noise kept repeating itself in my processor, even after it was silenced. It was like a virus. I had to manually purge my memory banks."

"Soundwave probably could have fixed it sooner, if Megatron hadn't blasted the main console," Skywarp muttered. He continued, looking thoughtful, "And I think they were appeasing someone, a dark lord. I heard about them. They were very powerful, and ruled a huge army. They wielded swords made of light, and some of them tossed lightning from their hands. They used something called 'the force.' Sounds stupid, I know, but it's really powerful. And two dark users of the force wiped out all the other ones. They were called Darth something-or-others. Darth Brooks must have been one too, and the humans were worshiping him. Or, at least, sucking up to him."

Thundercracker regarded his trine mate in disbelief. "'Warp? That's all made up."

"I did not make it up!" Skywarp crossed his arms. "You're just grumpy that I know something you don't. What's wrong, TC, didn't see that while you watched TV?"

"It certainly wasn't on the _History Channel_," the blue mech muttered.

"Who cares?" Starscream asked. "I, personally, have no interest in human history. Can we return to the issue at hand? Specifically, what could _you_ possibly have done that angered Megatron?"

Thundercracker glared at the Air Commander. "I'm_ not boring._" He glanced between his trine mates. He shook his head, frowning. "I'm not."

"Oh no, you're the wild one." Skywarp waved his hand dismissively.

Thundercracker opened his mouth, but Starscream interrupted him, "You're boring. Get used to it. Now, what did you do?"

Scowling, the blue mech said, "After that last loss to the Autobots, Megatron was furious. He told me to get you two, and we were supposed to flatten this human town." The other Seekers stared at him, not speaking. He shrugged. "It was a pointless, petty attack. No strategic advantage. There was no risk to it. They offered no challenge. Or advantage for succeeding. Not worth our time."

"So, what, you just chose to ignore direct orders from Megatron?" Skywarp challenged him. "Not only that, but you also chose not to _tell us_ about those orders. I have no problems blowing humans up, whether or not it's 'worth our time.' You should have said something! What did you think would happen when Megs found out?"

"Honestly, I didn't think Megatron was going to follow up on it."

"Megatron makes it a habit to ensure all orders are obeyed if I'm involved with them," Starscream replied dryly. He shrugged. "It's almost as if he doesn't trust me."

"Ah. Hmm, I should have realized that."

"You need to follow orders. And tell us when those orders affect us," the Air Commander growled.

"_I_ need to follow orders?" Thundercracker said. "Coming from you, that means almost nothing."

"I'm still mad at you," Skywarp pointed at the blue mech, "but that's funny. And true."

"Regardless of any humor inherent in that statement, as your Air Commander, I expect you to follow orders. When I disobey Megatron, I like to know about it."

"But you didn't disob – wait … " Skywarp clutched his head in his hands. "No, no, no! Not only did you technically disobey Megs, so did I. Gah! It's not just one of us. We're all being punished. 'Cause we all disobeyed orders. Doesn't matter that our boring brother decided not to relay those orders."

"_I'm not_ … oh, never mind!" Thundercracker turned away from his trine mates. He glanced over the sealant canisters and applicators, picking them up and testing the various valves. "We need to get working. It won't take long for Megatron or Soundwave to notice we're not out there. I'd rather not be accused of ignoring him twice."

"We shouldn't have to do anything! This is all your fault!" Skywarp yelled at the other's back.

"What?" Thundercracker turned back around. "Do you realize how many times I've been punished for something you've done? All those 'accidents' you have, who is it that gets in dragged into whatever mess you've made? Me." He turned to Starscream. "And let's not forget our Air Commander. How many times have you passed your blunders off onto us? I don't want to hear complaints from either of you. I haven't done a fraction of the slag either of you have."

"We know," Skywarp agreed. "Remember? We covered that. You're boring."

Thundercracker glared at the black and purple mech. He opened his mouth, then snapped it shut with a growl. Turning away again, he grabbed an applicator and headed for the airlock doors. Over his shoulder, he called back to them, "Move."

The other Seekers exchanged glances. Starscream nodded Skywarp toward the tools. With a long-suffering groan, the black and purple mech walked over and scooped up the nearest canister. He tested the valves, not really paying attention.

The nozzle blew apart.

Skywarp shrieked as sealant sprayed over his front. In a purple flash, he vanished. Surprised, Starscream launched himself into the air and bolted to the far side of the room. The Air Commander looked down at himself in disgust. Several gobs of sealant clung to his frame. By the airlock, and out of range of the sealant explosion, Thundercracker leaned against the wall.

::Skywarp! Get your worthless chassis back here!:: Starscream commanded over their comm channel. ::Your sealant tank is spewing everywhere. I'm not cleaning this up.::

::It's all over me! It's waterproof. I won't be able to wash it off! I'll have to use chemicals. My paint'll be ruined!:: Skywarp wailed.

::I don't care. Get back here!::

Another purple flash heralded Skywarp's return, near Thundercracker and well away from the leaking tank. His entire front was coated with a dark green, oily substance which slowly oozed down. He wiped his hands across the mess, succeeding only in smearing it more. "This is … awful! It's a mess! Look at me!"

Thundercracker smirked.

"How did that happen? You just checked them, right?" Skywarp asked Thundercracker. The blue mech nodded, slowly. "What happened?"

"I'm sure I don't know," Thundercracker said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He held up a small bolt, turning it over in his fingers. "I can't imagine how the pressure regulator came off. Obviously, I had nothing to do with it. After all, I'm the _boring one_."

* * *

><p>Author's (Second) Note - Thank you a href=".netu/2996210/"Imaginethat96/a for the idea of the song getting stuck in their heads. And my apologies to any Garth Brooks fans. What can I say? It was too good to pass up.


	4. Implausibly Colored Pachyderms

Title: All for One – Implausibly Colored Pachyderms  
>Pairings: None<br>Rating: G  
>Warnings (kind of): Long<br>Author's Note: This is a standalone story (like the previous chapters). It does reference my story 'Holiday Cheer,' but all backstory is provided for you. I wrote the energon cubes as about hand-sized, just because it makes more sense. Time conversions – Joor: 6 hours, Deca-cycle: approx. 3 weeks, Vorn: 83 years. Talking through comm channels is shown, ::like this.::  
>Disclaimer: Transformers and all associated names are registered trademarks of Hasbro. My work is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro. All Hail Hasbro!<p>

**-o-o-o-**

Thundercracker surveyed the mess hall. This late between shifts, only a few other 'cons were gathered, sipping their rations. He cupped his cube in his hands, hiding its contents. Once he confirmed no one was glancing his way, he stood and used the motion to slip the half full cube into a hidden compartment. The others ignored him. Satisfied, he left.

As the blue Seeker traveled toward the lift, his trine mate Skywarp approached – walking, Thundercracker noted with surprise – from the other direction. Thundercracker stopped, tilting his head. The other mech plodded forward, eyes down.

"You're walking? Since when do you _walk_ anywhere?" he asked the black and purple Seeker.

Skywarp groaned. He made a quick slashing gesture with his hands. "Trust me, it's not by choice. I'm low on juice. I don't have enough to teleport."

Thundercracker scanned his wing mate, confirming his dangerously low energon level. He narrowed his optics. Skywarp had been assigned to bridge duty his last shift. While his brother was renowned for teleporting at the slightest whim, bridge duty hardly required his unique talents. Certainly not enough to drain his power reserves. Which led Thundercracker to one inescapable conclusion.

"Primus, what have you been up to?"

"Nothing!" Skywarp protested. "Well, nothing more than usual."

"Coming from you, that doesn't inspire confidence." The blue mech shook his head.

"But this time I mean it! I'm not getting into trouble," Skywarp said, not meeting his trine mate's optics.

"You are such a lousy liar," Thundercracker replied. "With Starscream in the brig – _yet again,_ sometimes I think he should just move in there – I have to keep track of you. If you're not getting in trouble, then why is your energon so low?"

Skywarp glanced from side to side, rubbing the back of his neck. "Funny you should mention Screamer …"

"What does our dear, imprisoned Air Commander have to do with this?" Thundercracker raised an optic ridge, a sinking feeling forming in his tanks.

"Well, he's in the brig, and you know how Megs is. He hardly gives Screamer any energon in there. Usually, none at all. So, I've been sharing some of my rations." Skywarp smiled innocently.

Thundercracker considered his wing mate for a few moments, then nodded slowly. "Uh huh. How much, exactly?"

"About a third or so."

"Right. Okay." He nodded again, his optics narrowing. "Take me to see him. Now."

"Why?" Skywarp asked.

"Because you're not the only one slipping him rations. And I can do the math. I think we should have a chat with him." Thundercracker crossed his arms.

"But I'm almost on empty. I can't teleport."

"Take this," the blue Seeker said, pulling out the half-filled cube he had secreted away earlier. "It's enough for a few trips, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Why do you have that?"

"It's Starscream's share of _my_ rations."

"Oh. Okay," Skywarp said, shrugging. He downed the energon. After several moments, the dark mech nodded at his wing mate. He grabbed Thundercracker's arm and, in a burst of light, they vanished.

**-o-o-o-**

The _Nemesis'_ brig was located adjacent to the engines' main power core. During space travel, the constant vibrations from the core made the area unsuitable for the ship's sensitive computer equipment or supplies. But the uncomfortable locale was perfect for storing unruly mechs. The Decepticons had divided the space into rows of several small cells, stacked on top of each other, each equipped with a powerful electric field generator and a tiny, uncomfortable berth attached to the wall.

At the end of the bottom row of cells, pipes and various components from the power core crowded into the last room, making it noticeably narrower than the others. The undersized berth jutted out from the uneven wall, attached precariously to the pipes themselves. When the _Nemesis_ had crash landed into the ocean, the end closest to the electric field had detached, threatening to spill anyone foolish enough to lay on it straight into the field. The cell's proximity to the core also meant it was the noisiest. All around, it was the worst cell on the Decepticon ship. Only someone who truly angered Megatron was imprisoned there.

It did not take long before it became unofficially known as 'Starscream's Room.'

The miserable little cell soon became 'reserved' for the Air Commander, much to his dismay. None of the other Decepticons, regardless of their crimes, were incarcerated there just in case it was needed for him. Starscream complained bitterly about this. His complaints accomplished something, albeit not what he intended. Messages started to appear on the cell wall, welcoming him 'home,' and imploring him to enjoy his time there. Each time his imprisonment was over, he would angrily order them removed, only to find new messages inscribed by his next visit. After they arrived on Earth, a new theme took over: almost every one contained the phrase, "Home, Sweet Home."

Thundercracker could not help but stare at the current assortment of messages after Skywarp teleported them into the cramped cell. Starscream had finally concluded – rightfully so, in Thundercracker's opinion – that his complaints were fueling the constant stream of graffiti. Now the Air Commander tried to ignore it. Although, how he could ignore that technicolor mess baffled Thundercracker.

His gazed flicked over to the Air Commander. Starscream sat on the far end of the berth, the end still attached to the wall. Seeing his trine mates suddenly appear, several emotions played across his face: first surprise, then confusion, and finally mirth. Glancing between Thundercracker's annoyed frown and Skywarp's befuddled look, he laughed.

"You've been talking," he said, smiling widely at the others.

"Yes," Thundercracker confirmed, crossing his arms. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Uh, TC?" Skywarp interrupted. "What didn't he tell us?"

The blue Seeker glanced briefly at him, before returning his glare to their leader. "We're both slipping him rations, right?"

"Well, yeah."

"How much are you giving him?"

"I already told you. About a third of mine."

"And, because your teleportation requires more energon, you're allowed over twice what we get. But for simplicity's sake, let's round those numbers. So, a third of your rations equals roughly two-thirds of ours."

"Okay …?"

"And I'm giving him half of my rations. So, every day he's been getting a half ration, plus another two-thirds," Thundercracker explained. Skywarp looked at him blankly while Starscream smirked. "One half plus two-thirds. Do the math, 'Warp."

"Wait, that seems a little high …" the black and purple Seeker began. Starscream laughed quietly.

"That's because he's getting more rations in here than he does outside of the brig!"

"Not every day," the Air Commander corrected, holding up a hand to stall them. He pointed at Skywarp. "Some days, he forgets."

"I do not."

"You do."

"I never forget!"

"Apparently, you've forgotten that you forget." Starscream tilted his head.

"No, I didn't! Tell me the last time I forgot."

"Yesterday."

" … Um, I remembered yesterday." Skywarp glanced away.

"No, you didn't. Check your memory banks if you don't believe me."

"Oops," the black and purple Seeker said, shrugging, "I accidently purged my memory banks. Oh, well."

"'Warp!" Thundercracker exclaimed.

At the same moment Starscream muttered, "You idiot."

"Don't randomly purge your memory! We've told you that." Thundercracker rubbed his temples. "There might have been something important in there."

"Too late. Sorry." Skywarp shrugged. He tapped a finger against his head. "Nothing in there now."

"I concur," Starscream said, glaring at his trine mate.

"That's just wonderful," Thundercracker muttered. "I don't know which of you is more aggravating."

"He is," the Air Commander answered without pause.

"Really? I don't know. He hasn't made me spend – how many deca-cycles in all now? – running on half rations, because he never bothered to tell me he was already getting enough energon. That was you."

"And yet, this time, _he_ is responsible for me being in the brig. And you running on half rations."

"It wasn't my fault!" Skywarp held up his hands in surrender.

"How is this," Starscream gestured at his cell, "not your fault?"

"We've gone over this before. A _lot_. I thought the order came from Soundwave. It had his I.D. on it. Would you question an order from Soundwave?" Skywarp looked at his leader's skeptical expression, then winced. "Oh, right. Never mind." He turned to Thundercracker. "Would you?"

"If 'Soundwave' told me to bake cookies, especially while _not_ using verbal communications, then yes. Why would he want you to make cookies?"

"It had his I.D. on it. It was him –"

"Really?" Starscream asked.

"Well, no." Skywarp refused to meet their optics. "It was, uh, the Cassettes …"

"Did it ever cross your processor to double check that order? Especially before bringing those damned things to Megatron? At the very least, you could have waited until I wasn't there." Starscream narrowed his optics, glaring at the other mech.

Thundercracker carefully did not involve himself in the growing argument. He didn't want his leader to question his knowledge of that event. He had returned from patrol that day, only to be waylaid by both Rumble and Frenzy. The two brothers had harangued him, trying to bribe him into not disturbing Skywarp from his 'assignment.' They'd admitted, rather proudly, to conning the purple Seeker into baking cookies for the base. Despite their pleas, Thundercracker had been fully prepared to stop the charade, until Rumble let slip that 'Warp had told them a secret he'd promised never to talk about. (Afterwards, the blue Seeker had confronted his trine mate, who had denied it. Between Rumble and Skywarp, Thundercracker didn't know who to believe.) Angry at this betrayal, and tired of dealing with the two troublesome brothers, Thundercracker had left, determined that Skywarp deserved whatever trouble came from his stupidity.

He hadn't taken Megatron's and Starscream's reactions into consideration.

He had seen the video feed of the Command Center afterwards. In fact, it quickly became widely circulated, and enjoyed, amongst the troops. Undoubtedly, the two Cassette brothers had a hand in that.

It had started simply enough. Skywarp had approached his leaders – all three of them, since Soundwave was there as well – a tray of lumpy, burnt objects held proudly in front of him. The Seeker had announced that his task was complete and ready for them to enjoy. Megatron and Starscream had stared blankly at him, the Air Commander opening his mouth as if trying to speak, but no sound came out. (Thundercracker would never admit it, but he truly enjoyed the look of utter bewilderment on his trine leader's face.) Of the three, only Soundwave had shown no reaction. At their silence, Skywarp had looked increasingly uncomfortable, and started stammering about dough and how long it took to cook. Had it ended there, Thundercracker would have concluded Skywarp had received what he deserved.

At that moment, Megatron had turned to Starscream and said, "Ah, Seeker cunning and intelligence at their finest. No wonder your troops do so well in battle."

The Air Commander's earlier speechlessness had evaporated instantly. He promptly retorted that his troops, despite the limitations of certain members, were still vastly superior to the rest of the Decepticon army. Megatron had replied that obviously Starscream was one of those who suffered from limitations, if he believed such nonsense. Like most of the Decepticon leader's and his Second in Command's 'conversations,' this one quickly devolved into them exchanging vicious insults, while Skywarp pleaded with Soundwave to explain his orders (impossible, since Soundwave had never given those orders). The confrontation had ended when Megatron finally backhanded the Air Commander, and threatened to blast him with his fusion cannon if he spoke again. He then sentenced the furious Seeker to the brig. Considering some of his previous beatings, Starscream got off lightly. Not that Starscream would ever admit that.

In retrospect, the blue Seeker realized he had had the opportunity to prevent the entire episode. Not that he had any intentions of admitting that to his angry trine mates. They, too, had their own opportunities to avoid this outcome. Let them blame whoever they wished. Decepticons were real good at that.

As Starscream and Skywarp were proving now.

"You could have just kept your mouth shut! Is that so hard?" For all of Skywarp's defiant words, he refused to look at the others in the optics. He glared, arms crossed, out the cell door.

"That arrog –" Starscream shot a glance to the cell's camera, "I mean, our _glorious leader_ insulted the Seekers. Insulted all of you!"

"And, by extension, insulted you," Thundercracker had to point out, despite his desire to stay out of the conversation.

"Obviously!" The Air Commander turned his glare to the blue Seeker. "The fact remains that someone had to defend our honor, and the only other Seeker present was that idiot!" He jabbed a finger toward Skywarp, who flinched. "He spends his free time baking cookies!"

"Hey!" Skywarp finally turned to face his leader. "I don't have to answer to this! I … I take the Fifth!"

Starscream paused, puzzled. "You what the what?"

Thundercracker burst into laughter.

"The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution," he explained, still chortling. He started ticking off facts on his fingers. "It states: no person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases –"

"Stop that," Starscream interrupted, glaring. He turned to Skywarp. "What's he talking about?"

"I dunno." The other Seeker shrugged. "It's just something humans say when they want to shut up."

"Humans! Stop watching TV," Starscream growled. "Both of you!"

"I don't watch TV," Skywarp scoffed.

"Really?" Thundercracker rolled his optics. "Where did you hear about 'the Fifth,' if you're not watching TV?"

"The internet. Youtube."

"'Warp," the blue Seeker said with a groan, "that's just TV on the computer!"

"No it's not. It's a lot funnier. There's this video, with an elephant –"

"Stop. Both of you, just stop." Starscream shook his head in disgust. "No more human ... things. TV, internet, none of it! It's affecting your processors." He glanced sideways at Skywarp. "Your processors are enough of a mess as it is."

"He's talking about you," the black and purple mech said, nudging Thundercracker.

The blue Seeker stared at his trine mate in disbelief. A moment later, he casually reached up and shoved the other mech toward the electrified exit. Skywarp squawked loudly, throwing his hands on either side of the doorway. He stopped himself an instant before contact.

"Heh, that was close." Skywarp said over his shoulder. "These things hurt! Have you ever touched one?"

"No," Thundercracker said.

"Not by choice," Starscream replied, looking away.

"Hurts, huh?" Skywarp stepped back from the exit. Shaking his head, he started to sit down next to Starscream on the unstable berth. He didn't notice the Air Commander's raised optic ridge. Thundercracker winced. As soon as Skywarp's weight settled, the loose end of the berth gave away, spilling him yet again toward the energized field. Surprised, he couldn't stop himself in time. He shrieked as he tumbled. Right before he struck the field, he vanished in a burst of purple light. He reappeared an instant later outside the cell, flat on his aft.

"Did you guys just kill Skywarp?" A voice floated to them from farther down the row of cells. "Don't blame you."

"Swindle? Is that you?" Skywarp asked. "I forgot you were here."

"Me too," Thundercracker said, wincing. He'd hoped to get in and out without attracting any attention.

"I've been trying to ignore him," Starscream muttered.

"As I always try to ignore you, dear Air Commander," Swindle replied, cheerily.

"Hey, Swindle," Skywarp called out, standing up. "How's it going?" With another purple flash, he disappeared.

"Skywarp! Stop teleporting!" Thundercracker hissed after him. "And don't talk to him." Silence answered him. He called out in a harsh whisper again, "Skywarp!"

"What?" The purple and black Seeker appeared suddenly in front of the cell.

"Please, please, stop talking to Swindle. Last time you did, you sold him my berth. Not yours, _mine_."

"Well, how was I supposed to know he could break into your room?"

"I had to buy back my own berth." Thundercracker looked away. "I didn't get a good deal on it."

"Um, I'm sorry?"

"And stop teleporting! He wasn't that far away. You could have walked."

"Who walks?" Skywarp asked as if the very concept was foreign.

"Everyone does!"

"I don't!"

Thundercracker clenched his fists. "Remember why we're here? You didn't have enough juice to warp at all, thanks to our great Air Commander here. You're gonna run out again. No more teleporting."

"Uh, problem."

"What now?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm out here," Skywarp said, pointing first at himself, then to Thundercracker, "and you're still in there. So, how are you getting out, if you don't want me to teleport? Unless you suddenly learned how to."

The blue Seeker rubbed his temples. "Do you have enough energy to get back in here, and get us both out later?"

"Of course! Have some faith in me."

Starscream laughed.

"Ha ha, very funny, Screamer."

"Don't call me that!"

"Enough!" Thundercracker held up his hands. "We need to go, before the whole base knows we're here."

"Don't be stupid." The Air Commander pointed to the camera again. "They know."

"Fine. That'll be something else you owe us," the blue Seeker grumbled.

"What are you talking about?"

"The bribes we've been paying to whoever's on duty, so we could sneak your rations down here. I don't know about 'Warp, but I owe too many mechs too many different favors. Not to mention cubes of high grade. It'll take vorns repay them all."

"Don't ask about the bribes I owe." Skywarp shuddered.

"You honestly expect me to do something about that?" Starscream asked. "You're not serious."

"Completely. We'd only be in half as much debt if you'd told us. As far as I'm concerned, our debts are your debts."

"It's hardly my concern if you imbeciles don't talk to each other."

"Alright. How about this," Thundercracker offered, "we'll leave you alone down here, and pay our debts off with whatever we can scrounge up. Say, whatever we can find in your quarters."

Starscream glared at the blue Seeker, optics narrow. "You're bluffing. My quarters are locked. With alarms. And there's nothing of value there, anyway."

"One: 'Warp's never bothered with doors. Why would he start now? Two: the alarm's on the door, which we wouldn't use. Three: I know you have quite the stockpile of the finest quality high grade in your lockbox. I'm sure quite a few mechs would take that as payment."

"How ... You can't do that!" the Air Commander sputtered. "That's locked too. And it's too small for him to be able to teleport inside."

"You opened it once, when I was there." Thundercracker smirked at his trine leader. "I saw the combination reflected on the wall support."

"I like this plan!" Skywarp chimed in. With a purple burst of light, he teleported back into the cell.

"_I_ don't!" Starscream replied with a growl.

"I really don't care," the blue mech said. "We owe several mechs, and you owe us. This works out perfectly well. Skywarp, let's go."

"You will _not_ ... slag it." Starscream glared at the empty cell. He was alone.

**-o-o-o-**

They arrived in a brilliant, purple flash of light. Thundercracker glanced around in mild surprise. Starscream's quarters were more than twice the size of either of his trine mates'. A large desk, littered with data chips and readers, sat against one wall. A berth rested by the opposite wall. Near that was a standing lockbox. The blue Seeker turned to Skywarp.

"Now? We're doing this now?"

"Why not?" Skywarp replied.

"I thought you'd like to recharge, or at least fill up on more energon first. It's not like Starscream or his room's going anywhere."

"Please. I've always wanted to filch Screamer's stuff. I'm not gonna wait to do that." The purple and black mech snickered.

"Alright. As long as you have enough juice to warp us out."

"Um, what?"

"Juice. You know, energon? So we can leave."

"What are you talking about?" Skywarp asked, puzzled.

"What are _you_ talking about?" Thundercracker rubbed his temples. "You're the teleporter. You teleport. Did you forget?"

"Of course not! But why do I need energon _now_?"

The blue mech restrained himself from throttling his wing mate. "So we can teleport out! Why is this hard?"

"You're not getting it! I know all about teleporting. Why are we teleporting when we leave?"

"Why wouldn't we –" Thundercracker started, then turned suddenly to Skywarp, optics wide. "Tell me you have enough energon to get us out of here. Tell me!"

"Uh, well …"

"'Warp?"

"There's a door right there!"

"'Warp!"

"What?"

"Are you telling me you warped us in here, with no way out?"

"Of course not! The door –"

"Is locked!"

"You said you had the code!" Skywarp held his arms out wide.

"For the lockbox, not the door!" Thundercracker bit out.

"You know Screamer. He's lazy. He'll use the same code for both."

The blue Seeker regarded his trine mate for a few moments, trying to stay calm. "Do you know how doors work?"

"I'm not stupid, TC. Just 'cause I don't use them, doesn't mean I don't know how they work."

"So it's the lockbox that confuses you?"

"No! Type a code in, and it opens. Easy." Skywarp crossed his arms, looking at the other sullenly.

"Okay." Thundercracker nodded. The two stared at each other in silence for several moments. Eventually, Skywarp began to fidget.

"What?" he finally asked.

"How many digits are in the door code?"

"Fifteen."

"And the lockbox?"

"Nine … oh," Skywarp said, subdued. "Can't you, I don't know, guess the rest?"

"It has an alarm. Did you forget? We type the wrong code in, and it'll alert the Command Center. How could you teleport us in here, without enough energon to leave?" Thundercracker growled. "How are we getting out of here?"

"We could just wait around for Megs to let Screamer go …"

"He doesn't have a release date! Megatron may let him sit in there for vorns! And, let's not forget, that when he is released, he'll get his weapons back. What do you think he'll do when he opens his door and finds us here, still trying to steal his stuff?"

"I don't think he'll be happy …"

"You think? Don't worry, though. Starscream won't hurt you. I'm going to kill you before he ever gets that chance," Thundercracker said, fists clenched. He narrowed his optics.

Skywarp squeaked, backing away from his trine mate. "Uh, it's okay, TC. See, I've got a plan. I know how to, uh, get out …"

"Really? How's that?"

"Uh …"

"You are the worst liar, 'Warp."

"Oh! I got it! Screamer's got high grade in here, and high grade is still technically energon –"

"No. Not a chance. You teleported me once when you were only slightly tanked off of high grade. Remember that? Never again."

"Hey, we made to the _Nemesis_, didn't we?"

"Upside down."

"So, I got a little turned around …"

"And several floors off target. We almost teleported into the reactor. Never again." Thundercracker shuddered.

"It's perfectly safe!" Skywarp insisted. "Do you know how many times I've teleported while tanked up? It's fine."

Thundercracker crossed his arms. "You promised me you wouldn't do that anymore. You swore."

"Oh. Um. Well, yeah, I haven't done it since that one time …"

"I can always tell when you're lying."

"Really? How?"

"You open your mouth."

"Hey!" Skywarp pouted, then a sly grin grew across his face. "TC is the fastest, most agile flier in the Decepticon army. Truly, he's the best of us."

Thundercracker's lips twitched. Giving in, he laughed. "Alright, alright, you got me."

The other Seeker beamed.

The wing mates shared a brief chortle. Thundercracker quieted, looking around at the locked room. He cycled air through his vents in a long sigh. Turning to the door, he asked "Now what do we do? And, no," he held up a hand to stall Skywarp, "we're not drinking the high grade."

"Well, we're not going anywhere, so we might as well steal it while we wait."

Thundercracker regarded his trine brother. "I think I'm spending too much time with you. You're starting to make sense."

Ignoring Skywarp's protests that he always made sense, Thundercracker approached the lockbox. With the way his luck had been going, the code might not work anymore. It would be just perfect ending to this misadventure, to be locked in here and unable to get what they originally came for. With some trepidation, the blue Seeker inputted the code.

With a hiss of released air, the lid slid open.

"Lemme see! Lemme see!" Skywarp crowded behind Thundercracker.

"Back off." Thundercracker gently moved aside several data cards and chips, revealing several rows of softly glowing cubes underneath. Behind him, Skywarp clutched his shoulders and snickered. Thundercracker waved off the other's eager hand. "I said, back off. Thanks to you, we're not going anywhere any time soon. We have plenty of time to split this up."

"Look at this stuff! Screamer's been hording all the good stuff for himself."

"It's Starscream. Are you surprised?" Thundercracker picked up several cubes, considering them. "You realize, of course, if you could teleport, we'd be able to make as many trips as we needed to take all of this?"

"I'm sorry, okay? Really, I am!"

"Forget it. We'll just … I don't know, stash it on ourselves. Somewhere." The blue Seeker began storing the cubes in several internal compartments.

"And we can drink the rest?"

"Primus, no! I am not going to be locked in a room, with you tanked up. You have no idea how annoying you get."

"You do realize that if we're locked in here too long, that that stuff will be our only nourishment. I don't plan to starve," Skywarp replied, smugly.

"And you realize that we're due to report for duty in a couple joors. They'll scan the ship and find us here." Thundercracker raised an optic ridge at his wing mate's horrified expression. "What? Didn't you consider that the others might notice if we disappeared?"

"They'll catch us!"

"Yes, 'Warp," Thundercracker spoke slowly, like he would to a very young sparkling, "that's what happens when two thieves lock themselves inside the place they're stealing from."

"Megatron will find out! We're dead!" Skywarp wailed.

"Possibly. Or possibly not. I'm not wasting my time trying to predict how I'll be punished."

"But –"

::Megatron to Thundercracker.:: The Decepticon leader's voice broke into their conversation over the comm channel.

The Seekers stared at each other in horror. Skywarp let out a brief, startled squeal, before clamping his hands over his mouth. Thundercracker fumbled with the high grade cubes in his hands, most falling from his surprised grasp.

::Ah, Thundercracker here, sir.::

::Report to the bridge, immediately.::

::I-I would love to, sir. But, uh, but there's a situation …:: Thundercracker stammered. Skywarp grabbed his arm, shaking it, muttering at him to _do something_. He pushed him away.

::Are you disobeying a direct order?:: Megatron said, his voice dripping with menance.

::No! No, no, it's just that, uh, that …:: Thundercracker fumbled for an excuse, aware that their leader had little patience for delays. Skywarp was back, frantically gesturing for him to speak. He kept trying push the other away, but the purple and black Seeker wouldn't be shaken, tapping and shaking on Thundercracker's arm.

::Tell Skywarp to stop that. It's obviously hindering your ability to fabricate a decent lie.::

::Wha –? Oh.:: Thundercracker's shoulders slumped. ::Yes, sir.::

"I don't get it," Skywarp said. Megatron had used the open comm system, and the Seeker had heard everything.

"He's watching us, 'Warp," he replied, voice tired. Resigned, he ran his hand across his face plate.

"Oh." Skywarp nodded. His optics widened. "Oh!"

::Now, would you care to tell me what you were doing, and why you can't come to the bridge?:: Megatron resumed.

Thundercracker winced. ::We're currently locked inside Starscream's quarters. We were … we were stealing high grade from him.::

::Better. I'm sending Rumble and Frenzy to retrieve you. You'll follow them back, and report to me.::

::Yes, my lord.::

The comm went silent.

"We're dead. We're dead!" Skywarp threw up his hands. Still muttering, he reached into Starscream's lockbox and began grabbing high grade cubes.

"'Warp! What are you doing?" Thundercracker asked, shocked. He glanced around, wondering where the hidden camera Megatron had used was. "He's watching us!"

"He _was_ watching us. We don't know if he still is." Skywarp grabbed more cubes, opening his cockpit and stashing them inside. "And if we're going to be punished for stealing Screamer's high grade, then, by Primus, I'm gonna steal some. Here, you want some more?" He held another cube out to Thundercracker.

"No! I can't believe … Megatron just caught us stealing from Starscream, and your first reaction is to steal _more_?"

"Well, yeah. You got all of it. I want some too."

"You – you … I don't know you," Thundercracker said in disbelief. He turned away from his wing mate, a hand over his optics. "I'm not involved with anything you do. You're on your own."

"Okay. More for me."

Thundercracker moved over to the door, refusing to look back at his trine mate. Hopefully, the two Cassettes would arrive soon, before Skywarp made a complete fool of himself. Or, more likely, got himself – and Thundercracker too – into more trouble.

Muffled talking drifted through the locked door. He hissed a quiet warning to Skywarp. The voices stopped right outside. After a brief pause, the lock beeped as the Command Center overrode it. The door slid open, revealing two diminutive, smirking mechs.

"So," Rumble said, dragging the word out, chuckling, "which one of you two got you into _this_?"

Thundercracker groaned. "Guess."

"I said I was sorry!" Skywarp complained from farther behind him.

"Y'know, just a suggestion, but when you break into a place, it's a good idea to have an escape … whoa." Frenzy started, then interrupted himself, staring behind Thundercracker. "Uh, hey there, Skywarp. Everything okay?"

"You look a little … stiff," Rumble added, snickering.

"I'm good. Yep, all good here."

Thundercracker winced. Unable to stop himself, he turned. And stared. Skywarp shuffled forward slowly, barely bending his legs. His cockpit was overfull with cubes and unable to shut all the way. Thundercracker opened a private comm to the other mech. ::Primus! What – what did you do?::

::I grabbed some high grade. You saw me.::

::Your cockpit's too full! It can't even close. And why aren't you bending your knees?::

::Well, I ran out of room, so I had to put the rest somewhere. And they can bend. Kind of. Hmm, is the cockpit noticeable?::

::You put cubes in your _knees_? How did you … they fit in there? And yes, it's very noticeable! It's glowing all around the edges. Someone might see that.:: Thundercracker turned around again, unable to watch. Still standing in the hall, Rumble and Frenzy chuckled and exchanged glances.

::I'll adjust things …:: Skywarp popped his canopy open, and fiddled around inside.

"Hey, you look like you got your hands full there," Frenzy observed.

"Want us to take some?" Rumble offered.

"Hey, thanks! Can you hold these?"

"'Warp? Don't do it," Thundercracker warned. He glanced back just in time to see the brothers take a cube each from his wing mate.

"Thanks!" Rumble beamed.

"Very nice of you!" Frenzy added. They smiled wide and stepped back with their prize.

"Hey! I didn't give those to you!"

"Well, yes, you did," Frenzy said.

"And we appreciate it," Rumble continued, with a grin.

"But –"

::Drop it, 'Warp. You have enough. You have high grade in your knees, for Primus' sake! That's more than enough,:: Thundercracker grumbled over the private comm, ignoring the other's groan.

"Shall we go?" Rumble asked.

"Unless you wish to keep Megatron waiting?" Frenzy added.

**-o-o-o-**

Thundercracker and Skywarp stood, the latter visibly fidgeting, before Megatron. The grey mech considered the two from his command chair with narrowed optics. Behind the Decepticon leader, Soundwave waited, impassive. Thundercracker tried, unsuccessfully, to ignore the telepath's silent presence. (Before they arrived, he had reminded Skywarp to try not to think of incriminating thoughts. In fact, he'd instructed his wing mate to think as little as possible. At that, very perplexed look came over the purple and black mech.) Soundwave would report any information he pried from their thoughts to Megatron. Who knew what kind of trouble Skywarp had been getting into, that both Seekers could be punished for?

::Oh! I got it!:: Skywarp exclaimed over a private comm.

Thundercracker tried to hide his flinch at the unexpected outburst. ::Shut up, you idiot! Soundwave's probably listening to us.::

::It's a private comm. I'm not stupid.::

::He's the communications officer! Do you honestly believe he _can't_ hack our comms?::

Skywarp was silent for a moment, then continued, ::Never mind that. I figured out a way to keep him from reading our minds.::

::Please, shut up!:: Thundercracker fought hard not to show his aggravation. He remained standing at attention, although his fists clenched.

::Just listen! This'll work! Okay, this is very, very important.:: Skywarp paused. ::Whatever you do, do _not _think of pink elephants.::

:: … _What?_:: Forgetting that he was supposed to be impassively waiting for Megatron to decide his fate – and certainly not having a private conversation with his wing mate – he turned and stared at Skywarp.

::See?:: the purple and black mech said smugly. :: I heard about that trick from the humans. Now you're thinking of pink elephants, and that's what Soundwave will pick up on if he reads your mind.::

::No, I'm thinking about killing you! Shut up!:: Thundercracker turned his attention forward, and winced. Soundwave now regarded them both with his head cocked to the side. The blue Seeker could only hope that the telepath had been monitoring their conversation. He didn't want the other to believe he randomly imagined local life forms in exotic colorations.

"You broke into your commanding officer's private quarters," Megatron stated, bringing Thundercracker's attention crashing back to him. The Decepticon leader's voice dripped with contempt. "You stole his personal belongings. Not only that, you did so _incompetently_. You became trapped by your own stupidity."

Thundercracker glared sideways at Skywarp, who cringed.

"The Decepticons are at war! We have no room for ineptitude, for mechs who can't plan ahead far enough to ensure their escape," Megatron stared hard at Skywarp, who hunched his shoulders, "or for others who can't foresee their fellows' limitations, and give orders accordingly." The grey mech's optics shifted to Thundercracker, who flinched. "If you can't manage these things, you're worthless!" He stood up, bringing his gun arm forward with slow, deliberate movements. "What need do I have for two useless incompetents?"

Thundercracker tensed, fully expecting Megatron to unleash his fusion cannon on them. He looked away, unable to meet his leader's furious gaze. Several tense moments passed.

"Well?" the grey mech asked.

Thundercracker jerked his optics back to Megatron. For a horrifying instant, he couldn't remember what the other had said and what question he was expected to answer. With speed born of desperation, he frantically accessed his memory files.

"I can teleport …" Skywarp said in a tiny voice. He looked imploringly to his fellow Seeker.

"That ability caused this situation!" their volatile leader countered. "Is that the best you can offer?"

"No, my lord," Thundercracker said. He forced himself to speak with confidence. "We are the best trine in the Decepticon army. We consistently outperform the other Seekers, both in combat and practice. Our trine _is_ the Decepticons superior air power."

"'Your trine?' All three of you? You truly wish me to consider that traitorous leech Starscream when I decide your fate?"

Thundercracker winced. Now, with Megatron still angry at their trine leader, was not the best time to bring Starscream up. But he'd already made his case for the trine, and reversing that decision would weaken his cause. Reluctantly, he nodded.

Megatron considered the two Seekers through narrowed optics. After several anxious moments, he nodded once. "Very well. As the 'best trine in the Decepticon army,'I think it is only fitting you spend time together … as a trine. Until further notice."

Thundercracker winced again. With Starscream incarcerated in the brig for the foreseeable future, the only way for them to 'spend time together' was if the other two Seekers joined him. And, judging by that last comment, they wouldn't be leaving any time soon. At least Megatron hadn't blasted them with his fusion cannon.

With an impatient wave, Megatron sent them away.

**-o-o-o-**

Megatron watched as the two Seekers were escorted away. He snorted. 'The Decepticons superior air power?' Typical Seeker arrogance. And unusual from Thundercracker, but the blue mech had been trying to impress him at the time. Or perhaps the Seeker had been spending too much time around his vain trine leader. Either way, some time in the brig would teach them some humility. Not Starscream, of course. _That_ one never learned. Megatron's lips twisted in contempt.

Next to him, Soundwave shifted slightly.

"What is it, Soundwave?"

"Observation: both Seekers are still in possession of stolen goods. Quantity obtained by Skywarp: significant."

Megatron chuckled. "Do you remember what Thundercracker said, about being trapped in a small space with Skywarp while he's drinking high grade?"

"Affirmative."

"Call it an additional punishment."

The telepath considered at his leader, then nodded.

"What were they thinking about?" the Decepticon leader asked.

"Worries. Past guilts. Possible punishments." Soundwave cocked his head, pausing. "Implausibly colored pachyderms."

"What?"

"Pink elephants."

" … _What?_"

**-o-o-o-**

Thundercracker had never gotten in as much trouble as his trine mate, Skywarp, and certainly never as much as Starscream. But with volatile leaders like Megatron and Starscream, he had had his share of punishment, both physical and verbal – regardless if he had done anything wrong. It was just another facet of life as a Decepticon.

This, however, was possibly the worse punishment he'd ever endured.

Incarceration in the brig was its own brand of torment; denied the ability to fly free, confined, alone, in such a small space, and fitted with stasis cuffs that blocked his higher functions. He couldn't even adjust the input of his audio receivers. Something he desperately wished to do at the moment.

"_Eighty-three cubes of energon on wall. Eighty-three cubes of energon. Take one down, pass it around_ …"

"I swear I will kill you, Skywarp! I'll rip your circuits out, one at a time, starting with your vocals! I'll –" Starscream's shriek cut across the other's off-key singing.

Thundercracker covered his audios with his hands, desperately trying to block out the continual racket. The trine, as per Megatron's orders, were imprisoned side-by-side: Starscream in his normal cell, Thundercracker between his wing mates, and then Skywarp.

Skywarp had begun drinking the high grade shortly after their arrival – because, after all, "it's really uncomfortable having cubes shoved in my knees." Apparently, Starscream's high grade was top end, because before he'd finished the first cube, Skywarp was giggling and trying to lead the trine in a salute to pink elephants. By the end of the second, he'd adapted some Earth song into the calamity he currently sang. Within a few verses, Starscream began shouting at him, demanding silence. The purple and black mech had blissfully ignored him. This back and forth continued for a while. Thundercracker had taken comfort that the 'song' had a set number of verses, which Skywarp was slowly counting down through. That comfort was short-lived, because the other mech lost track of his lyrical count – several times – and arbitrarily restarted counting at random numbers (usually higher than where he had been). This prompted more, and increasingly louder, outbursts from Starscream.

"Thundercracker," a strained voice from farther down cut through the cacophony, "if it's not too much bother, could you possibly convince your fellows to _shut up_?"

"… _Seventy-nine cubes of energon on the wall_ …"

"What would you suggest, Swindle? Yelling at them? I'm sure adding more noise to the current noise levels will lead to silence," Thundercracker answered in a tired voice. Swindle's cell was at the other end of the block, but well within audio distance. "At least you're not next to them."

"… _Take one down, pass it around_ …"

"Both of you stop your squawking," Starscream broke in. "I'm not the one causing this racket!"

"Actually, you're causing about half of it," Swindle countered.

"… Uh, uh, eighty-eight? Yeah. _Eighty-eight cubes of energon on the wall_ …"

"Slaggit, Skywarp! _Stop that infernal song!_" Starscream's voice rose to a painful pitch.

"No, you're right, Screamy. You're the picture of peace and quiet," Swindle said.

"Don't call me that!"

"Everyone just shut up," Thundercracker whispered to himself.

" … _pass it around. Uh, and a partridge in a pear tree_ …" An intense, electronic discharge interrupted Skywarp's singing. He cried out, then abruptly stopped. A loud crashing noise came from his cell.

Starscream burst out laughing. At the same moment, Swindle muttered, "Ouch."

"What just happened?" Thundercracker asked. He stood next to the exit, trying to peer past the electrical field and into Skywarp's cell. The angle was wrong and he couldn't see anything.

"You don't get in trouble enough," his trine leader replied. "They zapped him."

"That sounds … fun. Why did they do that?"

A voice broke in over the brig's intercom. "I put him out of my misery. I may have to watch you idiots, but that doesn't mean I have to suffer through it."

Starscream cursed silently to himself. A soft chuckle drifted up from Swindle's cell. Thundercracker winced, but pasted a wary smile on his face.

"Hello, Thrust," he greeted his fellow Seeker. It figured. He knew the Coneheads enjoyed volunteering for brig duty when their Air Commander was – once again – incarcerated. They must be laughing their collective afts off now that the entire command trine was locked up.

"Hi, Thundercracker. Enjoying your stay?" Thrust asked smugly.

"It's better now. Quieter."

The Conehead snorted. "Yeah, Skywarp needed a nap. Really_, really_ needed one."

"Thanks for that," Swindle said. "Is it about time for daily rations? Or have our new guests messed up the schedule?"

"In a few," Thrust replied.

"Is Skywarp still getting his, since he's 'napping?'" Thundercracker asked. He shouldn't care – the idiot deserved a little starving after that racket – but he had to know.

The other Seeker chuckled. "Who ever said he was getting any? Or you, for that matter?"

"…I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me."

"Think about it," Starscream interrupted, his vocals flat. "O' mighty Megatron ordered us to spend time together. Among other things, that means you are currently sharing my punishment. How much rations have I been receiving?"

Thundercracker stared at the wall he shared with his trine leader in horror. "That's … that's not fair!"

"Well, make sure you mention that to our 'great' leader next time you see him. I'm sure he'll be interested in your opinion." Starscream snorted. "He is, after all, so very concerned with being fair."

Thundercracker growled softly to himself. He accepted that he was stuck here, trapped in this tiny cell, denied the freedom of flight for some indeterminate amount of time. But no rations? For how long? Starving was about the most miserably experience a mech could suffer. Starscream had only received fuel in here because 'Warp and he had been bringing him it. There was no one left outside to bring them fuel.

Well, that wasn't _exactly_ true…

"Thrust? How would you like to earn some high grade? The good stuff. You saw how quickly Skywarp got tanked off it," Thundercracker offered.

"Hey! That's still _my_ high grade!" Starscream hit their shared wall with a resounding thump.

"Not anymore. Besides, I'm helping out your ungrateful aft too."

"You're already owe me, TC. A lot," Thrust reminded him.

"Well, I'll pay some of that, and some more on top, if you could slip us some rations too."

In the neighboring cell, Starscream muttered, "I've already tried that, idiot."

"I'd love to help out my fellow Seekers," the Conehead said, laughing, "but I'm only allowed to take in one energon cube. And that's Swindle's. So sorry."

"Do you have specific orders saying that you have to give that cube to Swindle?" Thundercracker countered.

"Suddenly, I don't like where this conversation is going," Swindle said.

"I didn't like having to buy my own berth back. _From you_. Quiet."

"I have no incentive to be quiet. In fact, quite the opposite."

"And yet," Thrust interrupted, "I have my finger on the 'naptime' button. I want to hear TC's offer. So I suggest you be quiet."

Thundercracker waited a moment to see if the Combaticon would push his luck, but no further sound came from that side of the brig. "I'll pay you one cube of high grade, to help start paying off my debt –"

"Your considerable debt?"

" – yes, my _considerable_ debt to you, and then one more cube to buy Swindle's ration to split among my trine."

"What, Skywarp too?" Starscream asked. "He's unconscious. And he'll just start singing again when he wakes up. That's _my_ high grade you're giving away. Don't I get a say in this?"

"No, not really. You still owe us both. But we can discuss that, later, when we get out of here."

"I look forward to it," Starscream growled. "Especially the part where I shoot you both in the face for breaking into my room, and stealing my things."

"Just a thought," Thundercracker mused, "but when a mech is trying to secure rations for you, and keep you from starving, that's not the best time to tell him you plan on shooting him in the face."

Pause. "Duly noted."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much." Thrust's vocals echoed over the intercom. "Starscream'd never shot you in the face. Back? Yes. Face. No."

"Weren't you two discussing a business proposal?" the Air Commander asked. "Get on with it."

The Conehead chuckled. "Two cubes of high grade, and I let you decide how to divvy out Swindle's ration? Sound good?"

"Can I say something now, without getting zapped?" Swindle spoke up. "It seems like there's potential here for a beneficial arrangement. For everyone. Hear me out."

And then the bargaining began.

**-o-o-o-**

Thundercracker glared at the quarter-full ration in front of him. Spitting out a few quiet curses, he clenched the offending object in his hand. He was tempted to toss the damned thing into the energy field, but he had worked hard to get it. He hated Swindle.

"Admit it. He played you," Starscream remarked.

"It seemed like a good deal at the time …"

"Think about who were talking about. Never use the words 'good deal' when referring to anything Swindle does."

Thundercracker groaned. Starscream's advice was common knowledge. He knew that. Really, he did. And, yet, here he was, holding a measly quarter ration. It started out simply enough: he would pay two cubes of high grade, in exchange for one ration cube, to split three ways between them. Instead, due to Swindle's amazing bargaining skills, he'd ending up paying three cubes (the extra one going to Swindle), and they had split the ration between the four prisoners. When Swindle explained it, three cubes of high grade for a quarter ration – instead of two for one-third – seemed perfectly logical.

"Just … let's forget it."

From farther down the cell block, Swindle chuckled. "What's wrong? You agreed to our deal."

"Shut up."

A low groan interrupted them.

"Skywarp?" Thundercracker asked. "You awake?"

"TC? My head hurts."

"Not surprising."

"Uh, are we in the brig?"

"How much did he drink?" Starscream asked.

"Hey, Screamer," Skywarp replied, vocals shaky. "Did you get us into this?"

"Of course not, you imbecile! And don't call me that!"

"Actually," Thundercracker corrected, "we could make a good argument that you did."

"Are we going to start that again?" Starscream asked.

"Okay, my head really hurts." Skywarp groaned again. "Can someone just tell me what's going on? Oh, hey, I thought we were sneaking in to Screamer's room. We still doing that, TC?"

"I hate you both."

"'Warp, don't you remember _anything_? We already did that." Thundercracker shook his head.

"Did we get a lot of high grade?"

"I. Hate. You. Both." Starscream bit out each word.

"Is that a 'yes?'" Skywarp asked. "It's kinda weird, but I swear my cockpit's full of something."

"No, it's not!" Thundercracker said, too quickly. "Trust me. Just leave it alone."

"Hey! Look at that! I have high grade in there!" the purple and black Seeker cried out in delight.

"'Warp, don't drink any. I mean it."

"Lighten up, TC. A little high grade never hurt anyone."

"If you start singing again, you'll see how much it can hurt," Starscream muttered.

"Please. I don't sing," Skywarp scoffed. He made a pleased noise. "This stuff's good."

"It's like he's in some sort of replay loop," Swindle said.

"If that's the case, then good," Starscream said. "That means, sooner or later, he'll get zapped again."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: <em>SPOILERS - <em>_Don't read this, unless you've read this story. _The whole premise of my 'All for One' stories is that one of the Seekers get the whole trine in trouble. In the previous chapters, it's been perfectly clear who was to blame. Not so much in this one. Starscream could've prevented the events here, if he'd had told the others from the beginning that they were both sneaking him rations. Skywarp shouldn't have teleported into Starscream's room without refueling, and Thundercracker should have clarified with Skywarp where they were going, and he had enough fuel to leave. If we want to go even farther back, Skywarp could have confirmed his orders to make cookies (thus preventing Starscream from going to the brig - at least this time). Thundercracker could have warned Skywarp that it was a joke. And (unlikely I admit) Starscream could have kept his mouth shut. So, I'm curious who you guys think is most at fault. There's not a correct answer to this.


	5. The Easter Monster

Title: All for One – The Easter Monster  
>Pairings: None<br>Rating: G  
>Warnings: None<br>Author's Note: This is the fifth standalone story of my All for One series. Each one can be read alone. This is for the TransAuthors group's Easter contest (prompt 'Easter Funnies'). Time conversion – klik: approximately one minute.  
>Disclaimer: Transformers and all associated names are registered trademarks of Hasbro. My work is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro. All Hail Hasbro!<p>

**-o-o-o-**

"Oh, Primus, what's he doing?" Thundercracker winced.

"It's Skywarp. You don't want to know." Starscream did not bother to look up from the data card he held. "Just ignore him."

Thundercracker glanced at his trine leader. The other Seeker was right. Life was easier when he ignored Skywarp. But despite this sound advice, he couldn't keep his gaze away from the purple and black mech.

The three of them, and a few other Decepticons, were in the mess hall. Most of the first shift mechs had already finished their rations and left. A few, like Ravage, had arrived late and just now started sipping their energon. Thundercracker had finished his own fuel a while ago, but felt compelled to stay with the Air Commander. Starscream's rations sat, ignored, amongst a sea of data cards. The cards all displayed one of two similar events, albeit each showed a different reading of it. Starscream cursed at the data cards, studying and discarding them time and time again. Thundercracker also flipped through the cards but, unlike his trine leader, he had no idea what he was looking for.

Earlier that day, the _Nemesis_ had detected two anomalous readings, one from each of this planet's polar caps. Those readings could easily have been caused by sensor malfunction or, of more concern, Autobot activity. Unfortunately, the blips had appeared and disappeared almost instantaneously. Far too quickly to obtain any in depth intel on them. This put Starscream, the officer on bridge duty at the time, in a precarious position. Since a recent (and horribly botched) raid, Megatron was in a particularly foul mood. He lashed out at any perceived incompetence, and Starscream had always been a favorite target. The Air Commander could not afford to ignore these readings. If it was an Autobot signal, Megatron would rip the Seeker apart, literally, if they didn't investigate it. However, if it was a system error and Starscream wasted any mechs' valuable time examining what turned out to be nothing, he'd be equally punished.

This impasse made the Air Commander frustrated and nervous.

In an effort to save his own chassis, he had decided to examine every possible reading they obtained of the two anomalies. He hoped to determine if the Autobots had caused the signal. Then he would know whether or not to send anyone to investigate further. He'd spent the rest of first shift studying them, then moved his project to the mess hall. There, he'd recruited Thundercracker to help pour over the data. Unlike Starscream, however, the blue mech was not a scientist and the columns of numbers meant nothing to him. (He'd asked for an explanation, but after Starscream explained it twice – with increasing levels of impatience – and he still couldn't make sense of it, he just nodded and agreed to help.)

Thundercracker resigned himself to spending the foreseeable future staring at meaningless numbers, when Skywarp snuck into the mess hall.

The black and purple Seeker ignored everyone else. Instead, after a glance under nearby tables, he took one step forward, paused, looked around, then took another. He walked with exaggerated care. After several steps in this fashion, he bent down and peered under the tables again. By now, everyone in the mess – except Starscream – was staring at him. In his hand, he carried a bulging bag of … something.

"Um, shouldn't we –" Thundercracker pointed at their trine mate.

"No." The Air Commander reached over and tapped the data card in front of Thundercracker forcibly.

Thundercracker drug his attention back to the card, but he couldn't help watching his wing mate from the corner of his optic. Skywarp bent down near a corner and fiddled inside his bag. He withdrew something small and green, and set it down. After a quick glance around, he teleported away.

Starscream began theorizing aloud, turning several data cards towards Thundercracker and pointing out important details. Having no idea what his trine leader was talking about, Thundercracker nodded and made what he hoped were appropriate mmm-hmm noises.

As much as he tried to pay attention, his gaze kept slipping to the unknown green object Skywarp had left.

Thundercracker took a quick visual scan of it – nothing obvious that Starscream would detect – and brought the image up on his head's up display. Now he could stay 'focused' on the data cards, and still examine the whatever-it-was in more detail. He continued nodding and mmm-hmming at what seemed like appropriate pauses in Starscream's discourse.

The thing that Skywarp had left was small, exceptionally so by Cybertronian standards. Thundercracker enlarged the scan, and discovered it was oval. No, not quite. More ovoid, with one end tapered down more than the other. The light reflected oddly off it, giving the impression that it was slightly translucent. With close examination, he could see darker spots (possibly shadows – maybe the thing was hollow?) near the bottom.

Thundercracker froze as a realization struck him. Starscream wasn't talking anymore.

When, exactly, had his trine leader stopped speaking? Careful to keep his face plate emotionless, he ran a quick scan of his memory banks. Several kliks ago. Thundercracker tried to hide his wince. During Starscream's silence, he had 'mmm-hmmed' twice and nodded once.

"I'm not looking at the green thing!" He looked up, meeting his leader's narrowed optics.

"You're as bad as Skywarp," Starscream growled.

"Hey! That's just … insulting."

"I am trying to find a way to keep Megatron from ripping my wings off – _again_ – and you're worried about plastic eggs! I'm glad we have our priorities straight."

Thundercracker rubbed his hand over his face. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I'm trying but, honestly, I have no idea what … wait, did you say 'plastic eggs?'"

The Air Commander twitched his wings in irritation.

Plastic eggs sounded familiar. Nothing Cybertronian, of course. Thundercracker searched his memory banks. His scan found a file on human traditions (not standard Decepticon intelligence, and not one he'd admit having to his companions). With a sinking feeling, he compared the information he found to the current calendar date, as humans tracked it.

"Oh, no …" He looked helplessly at Starscream. His leader narrowed his optics.

"Go."

"What?"

"Go. Leave. I don't need you. You're not helping me. You're slowing me down. You'd obviously rather go play with Skywarp and his eggs."

"Starscream, I'm sor –"

"Just _go_."

Thundercracker winced, unable to meet his trine leader's gaze. He did want to help the other mech, but he just didn't know how. And, unfortunately, Starscream was right: he'd work faster without him. Grimacing, he stood up. He tried to ignore the look Ravage threw him as he left. The feline face was hard to read, but he believed the other was smirking.

**-o-o-o-**

By the time he caught up to Skywarp, Thundercracker believed he had a decent plan. Not only would he help Starscream, but he'd distract his other trine mate from whatever the idiot was up to.

"'Warp, I'm afraid to ask, but what are you doing?" Thundercracker cocked his head, watching the purple and black Seeker peeking into access panels.

"TC!" the other squeaked. "Don't sneak up on me!" He glanced up and down the hallway. "Hey, have you seen anything small, white and furry? It's really important."

"What? No. Why? Oh, nevermind." Thundercracker dismissed the thought with a wave. "I need your help. Actually, Starscream needs our help. We need to sneak off the _Nemesis_ and investigate the polar caps for Autobots. But no one can know we left. That's where you come in."

"Uh, normally, I'm all for sneaking off base. You know that. And Autobots? Sounds fun. But I really can't right now."

"This is important, 'Warp. Megatron's going to dismantle Starscream if he makes the wrong choice on this. But he doesn't have enough information. We can get him that intel. And save him another beating. We need to do this for him."

"Yeah, I get that." Skywarp twitched his wings in a shrug. He rubbed the back of his head. "But you don't understand. I'm saving all our lives!"

Thundercracker cycled air through his vents in a long sigh. He pointed at the sack his trine mate carried. "With plastic eggs?"

"Yes!"

"You're unbelievable." Thundercracker shook his head. "Wait. Does this have to do with the white, furry thing you mentioned?"

"Yes." Skywarp shuddered. He pulled a bright red egg from the bag and slipped it inside the access panel. Fiddling with it, he positioned the plastic thing so it lay mostly hidden, with just the tip showing. Thundercracker crossed his arms, waiting.

"Well?"

"What?" Skywarp asked, not looking at him.

"Are you going to tell me about the white, furry thing and the eggs?"

"Really? I kinda thought you already knew." Skywarp glanced at him from the corner of his optic. "You always know about human stuff."

"Are you talking about Easter?"

"You do know!" The purple Seeker turned, jabbing a finger into the other's chest. "Why didn't you warn us?"

"What?" Thundercracker stared at his wing mate in shock. "What are you talking about?"

Skywarp dropped his finger, then glanced up and down the hall. He lowered his vocals to a conspiring whisper. "The Easter Bunny."

"Someone here is very confused, and right now, I'm not sure who it is." The blue Seeker stared at the other, head cocked.

"What's confusing?"

"Seriously? You're acting like you're scared of the Easter Bunny!"

"You're not?"

Thundercracker ran his hand over his face plates. "Okay. Tell me what you're talking about. From the beginning."

"Well, apparently once a year this creature, the Easter Bunny, comes out. The humans placate it by hiding brightly colored treats for it to hunt down and devour. It doesn't make sense, I know, but that's what they do. And it works. Have you seen a single town decimated by a bunny since we arrived?"

"I can honestly say no."

"Exactly!"

"Did you ever consider that there might be other reasons bunnies aren't rampaging through human cities?" Thundercracker rubbed his temples.

"I never really thought about it. But then Fr– … sources warned me about it, and told me that they saw a white, furry thing on the _Nemesis_."

"Sources? Primus save us, what sources?"

"Um, reliable ones?"

"Names, 'Warp."

Skywarp mumbled to himself, so low Thundercracker could not hear, even after maximizing his audios.

"What?"

"Oh, fine! Frenzy and Rumble."

"'Warp! You know better than to believe anything those two say."

"I'm not stupid, TC. But they had video proof."

"Video proof? Of the Easter Bunny?"

"Yes! It's scary stuff." Skywarp's wings trembled at the memory. He wiggled his two forefingers near his mouth, pantomiming teeth. "It's got nasty, big, pointy teeth. It killed some humans wearing this metal skin, and it tore right through them like it was nothing. It's like a white, furry scraplet." He shuddered. "It's got a vicious streak a mile wide."

Thundercracker stared at his trine mate in horror, the words and hand gestures triggering something in his memory banks. "_What?_"

"I said –"

"I heard you," the blue Seeker interrupted him. "How could you watch that movie, and decide _that_ was the Easter Bunny?"

"What movie? That was a historical record the humans made, when they tried to confront the monster."

"The humans were using swords and armor. They didn't have video recording devices back then."

"Are you sure? That's pretty basic tech." Skywarp tilted his head, considering.

"I'm sure. Besides, you're talking about a movie. A senseless, inane one called _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_."

Skywarp tilted his head. "That sounds stupid. Why would humans watch a blind snake read some holy book?"

"… _What?_"

"Y'know, those little bumps on paper, that humans with defective optics use to read."

Thundercracker rubbed his temples. He was getting a processor ache. "Grail, 'Warp, not braille. And Monty Python is a group of human performers, not an actual snake. How can you watch as much YouTube as you do, and not know who Monty Python is?"

"I don't watch the videos with just people. Humans think the weirdest things are funny. Don't get me wrong – I like watching humans getting hurt – but how many times can you see a human get whacked between the legs before it just gets boring? Throw in some face shots, and that'd be hilarious. But no. It's always between the legs. Personally, I like watching them crash their cars into stuff." Skywarp leaned forward and whispered loudly, "I pretend they're Autobots. It's great!"

"Fascinating." Thundercracker crossed his arms. "Anyway, that clip you watched? Not real."

"But if you watched it, it must be true. You only watch that boring stuff, like history."

"History is not boring. It's actually quite interesting. But _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_ isn't history."

"Then why did you watch it?" Skywarp asked.

"Um," Thundercracker looked away, "that's not important."

"If you say so." Skywarp shrugged. "But I saw that thing. And it tore right through metal. Scary stuff."

"I can't believe I have to say this, but we have nothing to worry about from … rabbits." Just hearing the words out loud made the blue Seeker wince.

"It's not just any rabbit though. It's the _Easter Bunny_."

"'Warp, did it occur to you to confirm what Frenzy and Rumble said?"

"They had video documentation!"

"That's a 'no,' then?"

"Why would I? I saw the video."

"You can't believe everything you see, especially if those two are involved." Thundercracker considered his trine mate for a moment. "Do me a favor: search some human databases for information on the Easter Bunny. See what they have to say."

Skywarp groaned. "I hate researching. Tell you what, you wouldn't have asked me to look it up, if you didn't know you were right, right?"

"Right…"

"So, let's just say I looked it up, and save some time." The purple and black Seeker nodded at his plan.

Thundercracker considered his wing mate, then nodded. "And that's why mechs are, and will always be, able to trick you."

"What?"

"Because you just trust everyone. We're Decepticons. Act like one."

"Are you saying you're lying to me?" Skywarp cocked his head.

"Well, no."

"So what's the problem?" The purple and black Seeker held his arms out wide.

"If you had double-checked that video the Cassettes showed you, you wouldn't be here hiding plastic eggs."

Skywarp narrowed his optics, glaring at nothing. "I hate those two. We need to get back at them."

"We? Why 'we?' We need to help Starscream." Thundercracker held up his hand, stopping his wing mate from interrupting him. "No, no more messing around. We need to – oh, wait." He straightened. "I have an idea."

"About what?"

"You still have to do something with those, right?" The blue Seeker pointed at the sack still in Skywarp's hands. The other nodded. "I know the perfect place to put them: Frenzy and Rumble's bridge station. Preferably right before Soundwave, or better yet Megatron, come over for the reports."

"They'll notice me."

"No, they won't." Thundercracker smirked. "Frenzy and Rumble always get up and deliver a verbal report first. And then they drag Soundwave back to their station – and, yes, sometimes Megatron – to show him any other records they need to. Their station will be empty and out of sight while they're gone. You're fast. You can warp in and out before they get back."

Skywarp considered this, a slow grin spreading across his face. "And when they bring Soundwave back, they'll have to explain all the eggs. Oh, we have to time it so Megs is there too!"

"We can try," Thundercracker said with a shrug. Their volatile leader was hard to predict.

"Let's do it!"

"Okay, but first we help Starscream. Remember? He's pretty upset over those readings the _Nemesis_ picked up. I'm afraid that I, well, I wasn't much help to him."

"He's grouchy?"

"Entirely. I halfway expected him to try to make you help us too."

"Well, he did ask me what I was doing." Skywarp rubbed his chin. "So, I told him about the Easter Bunny and the eggs."

"You did?" Thundercracker raised his optic ridges. "And what did he say?"

"He thought about it for a moment, and then said he couldn't think of a single, better use of my time."


	6. Friendly Fire

Title: All for One – Friendly Fire  
>Pairings: None<br>Rating: G  
>Warnings: None (trust me)<br>Author's Note: Thundercracker tries to break up a fight between his trine mates, with unforeseen consequences. This is the sixth part of the 'All for One' series, but each one is a standalone fic and can be read without any knowledge of the others. Internet cookies to anyone who notices the Star Trek reference. Time conversions – klik: 1.2 minutes, joor: 6 hours, solar cycle: 1 day, deca-cycle: approximately 3 weeks, vorn: 83 years. Talking through comm channels is shown, ::like this.::  
>Disclaimer: Transformers and all associated names are registered trademarks of Hasbro. My work is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro. All Hail Hasbro!<p>

**-o-o-o-**

"You killed him." Skywarp stared at the body. He, Starscream and Thundercracker stood, frozen, as they considered the sight before them. They were in the main corridor leading from the mess hall to the upper level storage. Besides the three of them, the only other mech present was the still form at their feet.

"No, I didn't," Starscream countered. "I was aiming at you. Thundercracker grabbed my arm, which caused me to shoot the power lines. _Those_ hit Vortex and, well, here we are." He grimaced at the fallen Combaticon. None of the Seekers had realized he was nearby, until he had turned the corner at precisely the wrong moment, just in time to be electrocuted.

"It's still your fault!"

"No, it's not. I know logic's not your strength, but try it. I was trying to shoot you, but Thundercracker blocked me. Ergo, it's his fault. He killed Vortex." The Air Commander crossed his arms, satisfied with his reasoning.

Thundercracker spun to him. "Wha– … I – I didn't … Don't blame me for this!"

"You really should take responsibility for your actions."

"You're the one who shot him!"

"Actually, he wasn't shot. And if you hadn't stopped me from shooting Skywarp, then we'd all be fine, including Vortex."

"Um…." Skywarp raised a hand.

"Except for Skywarp," Starscream corrected. "But who cares about him?"

"I care!" the purple and black Seeker protested.

"I didn't kill him!" Thundercracker spoke over his wing mate. "You did this!"

"That's not how I remember it," the tri-colored Seeker calmly replied. "Are you denying that you grabbed my arm, misdirecting my shot?"

"But you're the one who fired the shot!"

"Are you denying it?"

The blue mech stared in horror at his trine leader. "You can't blame me for this. You were going to shoot 'Warp."

"So?" Starscream cocked his head. "It's only a null-ray. And I warned him to stop calling me _that name_, or I was going to shoot him. He did it again. So I shot."

"But I always call you Screamer!" Skywarp protested.

The Air Commander slowly turned to him, optics narrowed. The fingers on one hand clenched.

Thundercracker punched his purple and black wing mate in the arm. Ignoring the resulting squawk, he pointed at the other. "Keep it up, and I'll let him shoot you."

"I'm sorry! Honestly, I forgot!" Skywarp, noticing Starscream's scowl, maneuvered behind Thundercracker, putting the blue Seeker between him and their trine leader. "Oh, uh, hey, shouldn't we do something about Vortex?" With a jerky finger, he pointed at the motionless Combaticon. "That's, uh, pretty important, don't you think? We don't want to get caught with him, right? Right?"

"Don't hide behind me. I'm not your shield." The blue Seeker dragged his trine mate out from behind him. He looked down at body. "Although we probably should do something with him."

"You killed him, you figure it out." Starscream shrugged, turning to leave.

"_I didn't_…. Okay, fine." Thundercracker crossed his arms, glaring at his trine leader's back. "We'll leave him here, and when the other Combaticons come looking for him, they'll find him here … next to scorch marks caused by a null-ray. It should be interesting to see what the rest of the gestalt thinks of that."

Starscream paused, two fingers tapping thoughtfully against his leg. With a slow, deliberate turn, he looked at the damaged ceiling. While null-rays were not completely unheard of in the Decepticon army, he was the only one who carried them as standard armament. It didn't take a great stretch of imagination to realize how the other Combaticons – especially the brute, Brawl – would take that information. Without Vortex, they would be unable to unite into their combiner form, Bruticus, but having the other four angry at him would still be disastrous.

Skywarp stared at Vortex's still form, a new look of horror dawning on his features. "They're gonna kill us! Brawl's always been mean anyway, but now…! And I don't want to be on Swindle's bad side. You know how he treats us on a normal day, and he kinda likes us! What's he gonna do when he's mad? Oh, and Onslaught–"

"Shut up, idiot! We know who they are!" Starscream snapped.

"Oh, well. Let's go." Thundercracker shrugged. He turned around to leave, smirking when his trine leader started to sputter behind him.

"Get your worthless aft back here! You killed him! You'll help us handle this," the Air Commander growled.

"I _did not_ kill him," the blue Seeker protested, but without much vehemence. He'd gotten what he wanted: Starscream now had a vested interest in dealing with Vortex's body. The Air Commander wouldn't readily leave, at least until the he was no longer a prime suspect. The entire trick to manipulating Starscream revolved around anticipating his self-interest.

"So, uh, what now?" Skywarp asked, his gaze flicking between his trine mates. "Shouldn't we hide him?"

"Yes, but where?" Thundercracker mused. "We need someplace where a body can't be found easily."

Both Seekers turned to Starscream.

"Why are you idiots looking at me? It's not like I spend my free time hiding bodies." The tri-colored Seeker crossed his arms.

"It just, you know, seems like something you'd know." Skywarp shrugged.

Their leader snorted indignantly.

"You have to admit," Thundercracker said, "of the three of us, you're most likely to have bodies that need hiding."

"I do _not_ run around hiding bodies."

"Well, you are always trying to kill Megs…," Skywarp began.

"And if – when," Starscream corrected himself, "_when_ I succeed at killing Megatron, I'm certainly not going to hide his miserable chassis. Instead, I plan on displaying it, proudly, for everyone to see."

"So, you have no experience hiding bodies?" Thudercracker asked, an innocent smile playing at his lips.

"You know very well there have been one or two 'misunderstandings' that I had to clear up. You were there."

"One or two?" The blue Seeker raised an optic ridge.

"Regardless, that was ages ago, back on Cybertron. I haven't made a habit of it."

"Okay. Fine." Thundercracker cycled air through his vents in a sigh. He gazed at the fallen helicopter-former. "So you have no idea where to hide him?"

The Air Commander remained silent for a few moments, then ran a hand over his face. "Slag it. Fine. We'll take him to maintenance storage bay next to the reactor." At the others' blank looks, he explained, "The walls around the reactor are reinforced. Internal scans won't reach in there. And the Constructicons have been dumping their scraps down there. It'll be easy to bury him in the junk."

The two other Seekers exchanged glances. Skywarp snickered.

"Hey, Scr – Starscream," Skywarp interrupted himself, refraining from using his favorite nickname for his trine leader, "maybe you can help me. Rumble and Frenzy like to run these gambling games, and if you know as '_little'_ about those as you do about hiding bodies, then I can't lose."

"I don't hide bodies!"

"Well, you sure know a lot about something you know nothing about."

"Shut up," the tri-colored Seeker growled. Glancing between his bemused trine mates, he grimaced. "If you must know – and if it will shut Skywarp up – there have been occasions where I didn't want Megatron to find me, and he's sealed the exits. I had to get creative. There are a few places I found that I could safely stay out of sight. For a while." He shrugged. He nodded toward his purple and black trine mate. "We've wasted enough time. Get moving."

"Why me? And where am I going?" Skywarp knelt by Vortex's still form, idly spinning the helicopter-former's rotors.

"Teleport down to the lower storage rooms. Check the ones closer to the reactor first. Find one that's empty."

"I've seen them. They all have junk."

"Empty of witnesses, you idiot!"

"Oh, right!" Skywarp nodded. "Almost no one goes down there anyway. Except me, when I'm bored. 'Cause I like to look for interesting stuff in the boxes. Most of it's boring but –"

"Just shut up and go!"

"Gone!" The purple and black Seeker vanished in a purple flash of light.

"Imbecile," Starscream muttered. He turned to his remaining wing mate. "Keep an optic on the mess hall. If anyone starts walking this way, delay them. We don't know how long it'll take Skywarp –"

::Found one!::

"– never mind." The Air Commander switched to his comm system. ::Hurry back, and take Vortex down there.::

Another flash of light heralded the teleporter's return. "Sure thing. But how are you two getting down there?"

"I think you greatly underestimate the power of walking."

Skywarp nodded, putting a hand on Vortex's back. A sudden wary expression crossed his face plates. He glared warily at his trine leader. "Wait a klik. How do I know you'll actually show up? Maybe you'll just leave me down there, with him!"

"One: you already know my plan and, even if we did abandon you, you could carry it out alone if need be. Two: I don't trust you not to mess up this ridiculously simple plan. If anyone could mess it up, it's you. Three: if we were to leave, I'd have to listen to you complain, loudly and constantly, for deca-cycles. Even if I hid on the other side of this mud ball of a planet, you'd continue your tirade through the comm. There would be no where I could go to escape your constant griping. I wouldn't have a moment's peace."

Thundercracker snorted. "Liar. You'd just mute him. You always do."

The purple and black Seeker turned hurt optics to his leader. "You mute me?"

"Thank you, Thundercracker. You're so very helpful." Starscream narrowed his optics.

"You _mute_ me?"

"You talk a lot. In fact, you don't shut up. I don't like listening to it. So I don't. It's as simple as that."

"But … but we're trine!"

"Maybe we should discuss this later?" Thundercracker suggested. He looked first to Vortex, then down towards the mess hall. They were between shifts, but sooner or later someone would come down this hall. "We have other priorities right now."

"There's nothing to discuss." Starscream shrugged.

"I can't believe you mute me! I'm your trine mate! What if I had something important to say?"

"Not likely. But on the very, very remote chance you did, that's what Thundercracker's for. He'd fill me in."

"You helped him ignore me?" Skywarp turned on his blue wing mate.

"No. Do not drag me into this slag pile!" Thundercracker pointed at the fallen Combaticon. "Have you two sparklings forgotten something? Y'know, something kinda important, that we need to take care of?"

"I'm ready – more than ready – to move on. But a certain mech here refuses to shut up. A common fallibility he displays again and again."

"What's wrong, Screamer? You mad that you can't mute me when we're face to face?"

Starscream smirked. "I can mute you whenever I wish." He ran a hand down one of his null-rays, gently petting it. Skywarp's optics widened. "Let's just hope there aren't any more Combaticons around for Thundercracker to kill."

"I didn't kill him!"

"Uh, hey, I think I hear someone coming! I better move him!" Skywarp bent down and grabbed Vortex's rotor. His optics never left Starscream's weapon. In a purple flash, he vanished.

**-o-o-o-**

The Seekers met up with Skywarp – who kept a wary optic on his leader – in a storage room across from the reactor. After checking the hall for passersby, they stumbled and dragged the helicopter-former into the maintenance storage bay. Thundercracker and Skywarp paused, observing in the loosely stacked piles of scrap metal.

"Wow, this is a mess." The black and purple Seeker shook his head.

"I'm sure the Constructicons have organized this in some manner, but I haven't figured out how yet." Starscream glanced around, disinterested. "Not that really I care. Move him toward the back wall."

Leaving Skywarp to watch the entrance, the other two Seekers hauled the motionless Combaticon into the room.

Vortex groaned.

Surprised, both Seekers dropped him. From the doorway, Skywarp gasped. Vortex fell with a resounding crash.

"Slaggit! Whaz gunnon nere?" The Combaticon flailed around on the floor, cursing. He tried to stand but, unable to find his equilibrium, fell again.

Three Seekers stared at him, mouths gaping. Starscream turned to Thundercracker. "Are your sensors malfunctioning?"

"No. Apparently, mine work as well as yours," Thundercracker growled back.

"I thought I could rely on my subordinates to provide me with accurate intel. You said he was…." Starscream stopped himself before finishing the sentence, glancing at Vortex.

"I never said that. That was Skywarp," Thundercracker said. The two narrowed their optics at the Seeker in question.

Skywarp winced in the face of his wing mates stares. "Did you see the zap he took? No one could survive that!"

"What're you three talking 'bout? Where am I?" Vortex glared around him, becoming more coherent and angrier sounding. Using a hand against the wall to support him, he pulled himself to his feet.

"Except Vortex, apparently." Skywarp added.

"Now what?" Thundercracker asked no one in particular.

"_Now_, someone better tell me what's going on here, or I start getting information. My way." Vortex snarled at the three Seekers.

Unimpressed with the helicopter-former's blustering – at least not here, while he was outnumbered and unsteady on his feet – Starscream and Thundercracker exchanged thoughtful glances. Skywarp circled Vortex, wide-eyed, looking the other mech over from top to bottom as if he'd never seen him before. When he got behind the Combaticon, he glanced around and picked out a long, heavy metal bar. He swung the bar in a wide arc, crashing it on the vulnerable components on the back of Vortex's neck. The Combaticon crashed to the floor and lay still.

Mouth agape, Thundercracker stared at his trine mate in shock. He sputtered, unable to form any coherent words. Starscream raised an optic ridge, regarding Skywarp curiously. Their purple and black wing mate dropped the bar, staring back at them in desperation.

"He saw us trying to hide his body. We have to kill him!" Skywarp wrung his hands.

"Skywarp!" Thundercracker finally managed.

Smirking, Starscream turned to his blue counterpart. Using the same inflections that Skywarp had and pointing at the teleporter, he quipped, "He's an idiot. We have to kill him!"

"I'm serious!" Skywarp glanced between his wing mates. "We can't let him go, knowing what he does. He's a witness!"

"You idiot!" Thundercracker burst out. "He didn't know what we were doing. He was unconscious. We could have told him whatever. Starscream can lie his way out of anything!"

"Should I be complemented, or insulted by that comment?" The Air Commander crossed his arms and tilted his head, considering.

"But then he sees us, and you whack him over the head?" the blue Seeker continued.

"He's a witness!"

"He wasn't, until you attacked him!"

"I'm out," Starscream said, voice calm.

"What?" both Thundercracker and Skywarp said in unison. They stared at their leader.

"I'm out. Done. I'm leaving. You will no longer be enjoying the pleasure of my company. Have I made myself clear?" The tri-color Seeker looked between the two. "I have done nothing wrong. My shot – which Thundercracker misdirected – did not, and will not, cause his deactivation. Therefore, I have no reason to stay. Do whatever idiotic things you wish. But wait until I leave."

Skywarp stared at the Air Commander, his mouth gaping open. "What? No, Scr– er, Starscream, you can't go! TC, tell him!"

"Starscream, you can't leave," Thundercracker said. "You can't leave me alone with him when he's being so, well, _Skywarp_."

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm always me," Skywarp said.

"You're being more _you_ than you normally are." The blue Seeker turned back to his trine leader. "You can't leave me with him when he's like this."

"Then come with me." Starscream shrugged. "You were right. You actually didn't kill him. So leave now while you still have nothing to hide."

"TC?" Skywarp turned pleading optics to his wing mate. "Please don't leave."

Thundercracker shuttered his optics, rubbing his hand across his temples. It would be so simple to follow Starscream's advice. Just leave. But Skywarp needed him. If it was any other Decepticon, he wouldn't care. But Skywarp was his trine mate. They'd flown together, fought side by side. They were brothers, even if they hadn't been made by the same creator. He couldn't leave his wing mate, even if the idiot deserved it. They were trine. They stayed together. Although – he unshuttered his optics and glanced at Starscream – certain members needed to be reminded of that.

Thundercracker cycled air through his vents in a slow sigh. "Okay, let's think about this. And shut up for a moment, 'Warp." He held a hand up to silence his wing mate, even as the other opened his mouth. "What will happen if we leave him to his own devices?"

"You need to ask?" Starscream replied with a smirk. "Skywarp attempting to make decisions is why I'm leaving."

"He'll mess it up," Thundercracker answered his own question.

"Hey–"

"I told you to be quiet, 'Warp. I see one of two things happening when he slags this up. One, the Combaticons will figure out what happened, and come after all three of us. In the open, with maneuvering room, I think we might have even odds on them. Still, it won't be fun. More likely, however, they will ambush us and make damn sure we can't take to the sky. It'll be even less fun.

"Two," Thundercracker continued, "Megatron or Soundwave will figure out 'Warp's 'brilliant' plan. Either way, eventually Soundwave will read his mind. What do you think Megatron's reaction will be when he learns _you _were here, and could have prevented a key member of one of his gestalts from being deactivated?"

It was almost unnoticeable; the brief twitch of Starscream's wings, the tiny flare of his optics, the barely perceptible increase of his vents. But Thundercracker had been in the Air Commander's trine for tens of thousands of vorns. He knew his leader well. He understood, and shared, Starscream's fear of Megatron. A brief flicker of guilt brushed against Thundercracker for playing upon his trine mate's fears. But he dismissed it. His concerns were justified, and the trine needed to stay together.

The two mechs stared at each other in silence. Skywarp, glancing between his wing mates and the still Combaticon, interrupted the tableau. "So, now what? Are we killing him?"

"Don't be an idiot!" Starscream snapped, whirling on him. "No one's killing anyone. Not unless we're sure we can get away with it. And we're not."

"But … witness?" The purple and black mech held his hands out helplessly.

The Air Commander looked down at the still form, considering. "Not for long."

"You just said we're not killing anyone," Skywarp said.

"We're not."

"Ah, okay. I'm confused." He turned to Thundercracker and shrugged.

The blue Seeker shook his head. "It's Starscream. Just sit back and let him plot. It's for the best, at least this time."

"You're both idiots. Shut up." Starscream scowled at them before returning his attention to Vortex.

The Air Commander knelt down and examined the fallen mech's injuries. He nodded, pleased. Extending a small tool from his finger, he fiddled with a panel on the back of the other's head. The tri-colored Seeker removed the thin sheet of plating, exposing Vortex's internal workings. He clicked quietly to himself as he worked.

Skywarp fidgeted, his optics darting from the entrance to his busy leader. He opened his mouth, but Thundercracker waved him to silence. With an annoyed glance at his wing mate, the purple and black Seeker crossed his arms but remained quiet. His sullen gaze alternated between his trine mates and the door.

"Done," Starscream said. He reattached the panel on Vortex's head.

"Oh, good. What's 'done?'" Skywarp asked, still perturbed.

"Vortex." The Air Commander smirked at his wing mate's resulting scowl.

"Starscream," Thundercracker said, sighing through his vents, "just tell us already."

"You're no fun. Fine. I've adjusted his memory banks. Specifically, I wiped the last several joors clean. It should appear as if the injury caused his memory loss."

"Really? You can do that?" Skywarp looked impressed, in spite of his aggravation.

"Yes. I think."

"Excuse me?" Thundercracker asked.

"When I adjusted his memory, I either wiped the last few joors … or his whole memory bank. I'm not entirely sure." Starscream shrugged.

"What?" The blue mech stared at him.

"I'm a scientist, not a medic. Regardless, it's hardly important."

"It's pretty important to him."

"Not really. If he's completely wiped, his gestalt can reconstruct a memory for him. It won't be his, but it'll be enough." Starscream shrugged again.

"So, he won't remember us?" Skywarp asked. "Everything's good?"

The Air Commander nodded. "Once you teleport us well away from here, yes. I'd hate to go through all this, just to have someone see us leave here. You'd probably hit them over the head and demand we kill them."

"He was a witness, Screamer!"

"Do _not_ call me that!"

Thundercracker grimaced. He opened his mouth to say something – a plea for peace, perhaps, or just to yell at them to _stop already_ – when Vortex twitched. A pained grunt came from helicopter-former. All quarrels forgotten, the three Seekers froze.

::Skywarp?:: Starcream prompted, his optics never leaving the fallen Combaticon.

In an instant, almost before the Air Commander commed him, the purple and black mech appeared besides his trine mates, grabbed them and teleported them away.

**-o-o-o-**

The Combaticons were furious when they discovered their injured gestalt member. Not only was Vortex injured but he lost several deca-cycles of memory, far more than Starscream had anticipated. The entire gestalt aggressively – if covertly – pursued the unknown attacker, questioning every mech they found alone, or in a small enough group. The likeliest suspects were the other gestalts. Within a solar cycle, no gestalt member would go out alone. The Constructicons and Stunticons, of course, had nothing to do with Vortex's injuries, but what sane mech would intentionally attack a Combaticon without one of the other gestalts' support? The other Decepticons stayed in groups, or in the Command Center. As upset as the Combaticons were, they would not risk angering Megatron by making their dispute public.

Ironically, one of the few groups not yet targeted by the angry gestalt were the Seekers. While the two groups weren't friendly towards each other, they hadn't had any recent confrontations. There was no logical reason for the Combaticons to suspect them. However, as their questioning continued coming up fruitless, the process of elimination would eventually lead to the flyers. This fact haunted Thundercracker.

He contemplated this, and the inevitable consequences, hunched over his energon ration. The mess hall was uncommonly quiet, most the mechs uneasy and not willing to speak aloud, in case something they said be misinterpreted and reported back to the Combaticons. Except for Thundercracker, who waited for his trine mates, everyone sat in their subgroups. Safety in numbers, and all that. The Seeker keenly felt his solidarity. Where in the Pit were Starscream and Skywarp? The Coneheads sat nearby, but he couldn't truly count on those other Seekers if he needed backup.

He glared at his rations, cursing his tardy wing mates, when Starscream interrupted his thoughts.

::Stop looking so guilty,:: the Air Commander said, using the trine's private comm channel. He sat down beside the other Seeker, sipping his energon.

Thundercracker flinched in surprise. ::I'm not.::

::Liar. You haven't looked up. Not once. Not even when Ravage tried to take a piece out of Frenzy's aft. That was actually humorous.::

::It's not like I spend my time staring at everyone. And how long have you been here?:: Thundercracker made the effort to glance around the mess hall, doing his best to feign disinterest.

::Well done. Now you look only slightly less guilty. Pathetic,:: Starscream said, ignoring his question.

::Can I help you with something?::

::Yes, I need you for an extra duty shift.:: The Air Commander paused, smirking. ::Reviewing the video records. For the Combaticons.::

Thundercracker choked on his energon. ::_What?_::

::The Combaticons are disturbing the internal workings of the base. It won't be long before Megatron tires of it. As Second in Command – and the Slag Maker's favorite target for his misplaced anger – I have a vested interest in returning the relative peace. And I don't relish the idea of Soundwave investigating this. Neither should you, considering. So, we're going to help the Combaticons solve their little problem.::

::Do I need to point out the inherent problem with that?::

::There is no problem.:: Starscream leaned back in his seat, arms crossed.

::Really? I don't like the idea of turning ourselves in, especially to them.::

::Don't be stupid. We're not turning ourselves in. We haven't done anything wrong.::

Thundercracker glanced aside. ::Well, technically–::

::Shut up. _We haven't done anything wrong_. Remember that. And the video will confirm it. I made sure of that.:: Starscream idly swirled his energon cube, his optics locked on his wing mate's.

::Why am I not surprised you know how to tamper with the base's cameras?:: Thundercracker rubbed his temple. He was developing a processor ache. ::What will I see on the recordings?::

::Our little altercation in the hall, without Vortex of course. There will also be a few visual distortions near the reactor. Nothing obvious, so don't find them right away. I expect you to really look over those records, before you show the anomalies to our 'friends.'::

::'Visual distortions?':: Thundercracker asked.

::Yes. Similar to those Mirage leaves behind,:: Starscream replied, shrugging. ::If the Combaticons want to express their anger, it might as well be towards the Autobots.::

::Ah. Why me?::

::Skywarp is already doing his part. He's planting listening devices in the Constructicons' and Stunticons' quarters, work areas, and anywhere else they frequent. After all, they might let slip some incriminating evidence on the attack.:: Starscream smirked. ::Besides, I wouldn't trust him with this task. It takes intelligence. I would do it, but I'm the Second in Command. It's out of place for me to do some menial, processor-numbing task like this.::

::Thanks.::

::You're welcome.::

Thundercracker cycled air in a sigh. ::You realize, if your video editing doesn't fool them, there's a good chance they'll figure out the truth. And I'll be right there for them to 'express their anger.'::

::Yes,:: Starscream said. His grin hardened. ::Perhaps you should remember this, next time you stop your commanding officer from shooting someone.::

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Did you catch the Star Trek reference? And I'm aware that dead Transformers turn grey. For the sake of this story, I'm saying this process takes some time. That, or all three Seekers were too busy with their arguing and concerns over what to do with Vortex to notice he never actually turned grey.<p> 


	7. War

Title: War  
>Pairings: None<br>Rating: G  
>Warnings: None (It is long)<br>Author's Note: This is a standalone story (like the previous chapters). Skywarp plans vengeance against two trouble-making brothers. I tried something new; I attempted to write some action sequences. Time conversions – Klik: approx. 1 min, Deca-cycle: approx. 3 weeks, Vorn: 83 years. Talking through comm channels is shown, ::like this.::

Another Note: I also have a series of flash fan fictions set in the "All for One" setting. Feel free to check those out on my profile if you enjoy AfO. Those will be updated more frequently, but are (obviously) much shorter.

Special thanks to DragonDancer5150 for beta reading this and catching all those little mistakes the typo gremlins snuck in here.

* * *

><p>"This is war!" Skywarp said in a harsh whisper.<p>

Thundercracker paused, then glanced over his station controls. With a few flicks of switches, he set the bridge computers to inform him of any status changes. Satisfied the automatic alerts were in place, he turned to face his wing mate. Not speaking, he crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. And stared.

The purple and black Seeker stared back. After a few moments, Skywarp burst out, still whispering, "What?"

"One: we've been fighting for _how many_ tens of thousands of vorns, and you just now realized we're at war? And two: we're on bridge duty. This is my station. Yours is over there." The blue Seeker nodded towards the other side of the bridge. "You're going to get us in trouble. Again."

Skywarp waved his hand dismissively. Keeping his vocals low, he said, "I gave Screamer a report to sign off on. He's busy. And I know we're at war. I'm not stupid. Forget the Autobots. They're not important."

"Don't say that around Megatron. Please? I don't want you dismantled. As much as you can annoy me, I like having someone around to help me when our trine pulls sanitation duty. We both know Starscream won't help." Thundercracker looked back at the command chair where the Air Commander lounged, against Megatron's express orders. Their trine leader slumped, a leg thrown casually over the chair's arm. He held a data card in one hand, the other hand supporting his chin as he read it over.

Currently, the three Seekers were the only ones on the bridge. Megatron and most of the Decepticons were back on Cybertron on a special assignment. A skeleton crew ran the _Nemesis,_ including their trine, Soundwave and his cadre, the Coneheads and the Constructicons. Everyone was working double shifts to cover all the necessary work.

Turning his attention back to Skywarp, the blue Seeker said, "I'm going to regret asking, but what are you talking about, if not the Autobots?"

Optics darting from side to side, Skywarp replied, "Rumble and Frenzy! It's war!"

"Primus save us."

"What?" The purple and black Seeker held his arms out, confused.

"You two do realize just because my optics are busy, that does not mean my audios have ceased functioning, right?" Starscream's harsh vocals cut through their conversation.

An involuntary squeak escaped Skywarp. With a burst of purple light, he vanished, reappearing almost instantaneously at his station. He turned to the Air Commander, a cheerful smile across his face plates. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Starscream, not looking up, lifted his arm and aimed his null-ray at the teleporter.

"Um, I meant, I needed to give TC a report, but I'm all done now. We're good."

A low hum filled the bridge as the null-ray powered up.

"Fine! I was just talking to TC, but I'm at my station now! See?"

"Please don't shoot him," Thundercracker interrupted. "My job is tedious enough without having to do his work too."

The tri-colored Seeker finally glanced up, first at Thundercracker then Skywarp. "Tedious? You don't have to deal with Soundwave and his minions skulking about. And, on top of all that, you don't have two morons for subordinates who can't handle simple monitor duty."

"I feel I should point out that _I_ have no problems with my shift," Thundercracker said. "I'm working."

He purposely ignored his leader's comment about Soundwave. _That_ one's presence, here and now, truly aggravated Starscream. Everyone knew why the tape deck had remained behind: Megatron wanted someone left on Earth he trusted. The Decepticon leader currently had no use for the Earthbound Seekers – there were other Seekers on Cybertron – and leaving Soundwave behind with them annoyed his second to no end. A win, all around. Well, a win for him. Those left behind were forced to deal with the irritable Air Commander.

"Really? You appear to be talking to me. Am I wrong?"

Yes, Starscream was definitely irritable. Thundercracker bit back a sigh, and turned his attention back to the screens.

::What are we going to do about those Cassettes?::

::'Warp! Shut up! You know Starscream monitors our private comms.:: Thundercracker glanced at the reflection on his console, checking on their trine leader. The tri-colored Seeker glowered at the data pad, but didn't noticeably react to their silent conversation.

::But he's doing his own stuff. What's the chances he's listening?::

::Pretty good.::

::Oh c'mon, TC! He's not paying attention. Just pretend you're working–::

::I'm not pretending. I _am _working.::

::Whatever. Just listen. We need to do something about Frenzy and Rumble. I'm telling you, it's war!::

::And I'm telling you, shut up 'Warp! I'm working here.::

::But–::

"Unbelievable. Even after Thundercracker reminds you that I'm listening, you continue to talk," Starscream interrupted. "And you, Thundercracker, if you'd shoot him occasionally, he'd listen more. He won't learn – he just doesn't do that – but he might listen."

"What? Hey!" Skywarp objected. "Don't shoot me!"

Thundercracker grimaced, but turned to face Starscream again. He shrugged. "He's trine."

"So? That's never stopped me."

"I know. Trust me, I know." Thundercracker shook his head. He didn't bother to point out their different weapon capabilities. Starscream's null-rays had several settings, many of which were not lethal. His own weapons had two settings: on and off. In his current mood, the Air Commander probably wouldn't care.

"I don't want to be shot!"

"Do I care?" Starscream asked.

Skywarp stared at his trine leader with hurt optics. "Y'know, Screamer, you're really grumpy today."

"'Warp!" Thundercracker hissed in warning.

"I beg your pardon? And _do not_ call me that!"

"Actually, ever since Megs left, you've been really, well, grouchy."

"'Warp…"

"Don't be absurd. Just because I refuse to tolerate idiotic chatter – which, I'll remind you, I've never tolerated – does not make me 'grumpy' or 'grouchy,' or any other similar adjective."

"No, you haven't, but you usually ignore us longer before threatening to shoot us. And shooting threats aren't normally over chatting on bridge duty!"

"Sky. _Warp_." Thundercracker bit out each syllable.

"Perhaps I've decided that I've allowed you two too much leniency. This is a Decepticon base, and we're the pinnacle of the Decepticon aerial forces. We can't afford anything less than perfection!"

"Look, I just think, maybe, something else is bothering you. Like, maybe, Soundwave. Maybe you'd feel better if you were able to get at him somehow. Say, if Megs came back, and all your stuff was good, but his was a mess?"

All signs of aggravation disappeared from the Air Commander's face. "What?"

"Sky–! Starscream?"

"I was thinking we kill two bushes with one bird, as the humans say. We," Skywarp gestured at Thudercracker and himself, ignoring the blue mech as he hid his face, "want to get back at Frenzy and Rumble. And you want to make Soundwave look bad. If we mess up the Cassettes' work, that'll mess up Soundwave's stuff. Yes?"

Starscream leaned farther back on the command chair, considering. "With some planning, yes, that could actually work."

"Starscream?!" Thundercracker stared at his leader in disbelief.

"You okay there, TC? You keep repeating our names. Are you stuck in some kinda info loop?" Skywarp asked.

"He's fine," the Air Commander said, without sparing a glance in Thundercracker's direction. "Here's the plan…"

**-o-o-o-**

"This is going to end badly," Thundercracker muttered.

"Hey, Screamer came up with the plan. He's smart. It'll work." Skywarp fidgeted, waiting for their internal chronometers to reach the specified time.

"Should I remind you about the success rate of his plans against Megatron?"

"Um, please don't." The teleporter paused, rubbing his chin. "It'll work. We all agreed to it."

"It's funny how 'we all' in this context means you and Starscream. You conveniently ignored me."

"Only because you didn't want to do it!"

Thundercracker bit back a sigh. He was committed to it now, regardless of his misgivings. If he opted to stay behind, Skywarp would go ahead and do their part alone. If anything happened to the purple and black Seeker, he'd actually feel bad. Granted, he'd never admit that out loud.

The plan seemed simple enough.

Starscream would approach Soundwave, offering to (finally) review the status reports he'd been ignoring since Megatron had left. Being true to form – aggravating, in other words – the Air Commander chose a time during the tape deck's and his Cassettes' scheduled recharge cycle. Soundwave, being a perfectionist and wanting things done correctly, could hardly pass up a chance of getting some actual _work_ out of Starscream, even at the cost of his own rest.

While the Air Commander distracted Soundwave, Thundercracker and Skywarp would teleport into the Communications Officer's private office, break into the hard copies of his records, and rearrange and mislabel as many of the thousands of records as they could before either Soundwave and Starscream finished (the Air Commander would comm them at that time), or Skywarp became hopelessly bored and threatened to betray their presence due to his impatience. In either case, they would close everything back up, hiding their sabotage and leave before Soundwave returned.

Thundercracker wished that the others had left Soundwave alone. He'd rather trust that the telepath had simply retired to his quarters, and then kept watch for him, rather than actively try to distract him. Starscream's counter to that argument had been to remind them that they didn't know the range of tape deck's telepathy. Watching for him would be pointless, if he already knew what they were up to. And, as he pointed out, he'd managed to hide things from the telepath before. They needed to keep him distracted, and focused away from his office. Another bonus, the Cassettes should also be with him. If any left, Starscream would see them leave, and could warn the other two.

Since it was Starscream's plan, it was pointless to argue. The Air Commander had made his decision and that was that.

They waited in Thundercracker's room, the blue Seeker resigned, the purple and black one twitching. When the appointed time came – and Starscream hadn't contacted them to abort – Skywarp grabbed his trine mate's arm and teleported them away.

Thundercracker yelped slightly as they arrived in the darkened room. "Slaggit, 'Warp! Warn me next time."

"You knew I was going to warp us," Skywarp said.

"It's … polite to warn a mech before teleporting him."

"Okay, since I'm the only teleporter, don't I set the rules?"

"Just warn me next time." Thundercracker glared at his trine brother.

"Sure, whatever. Wow, Screamer's grumpiness is contagious."

"Just get to work."

The room was lit only by a large monitor dominating the front of it, forcing the Seekers to enhance their optics. Several unlit, smaller screens perched nearby. Row after row of cabinets filled the majority of the chamber. Thundercracker approached one, and pulled a drawer open. Carefully stacked inside were trays of data cards. He estimated this drawer alone contained almost a thousand of the tiny cards.

"Primus! Look at them all!" Skywarp exclaimed. "This is gonna take forever!"

"Then aren't you glad you thought up this wonderful plan?"

"Screamer–"

"You started it," Thundercracker interrupted. He grimaced, looking at the drawer. It really would take forever. They'd be lucky to finish relabeling half this shelf before Starscream warned them away. Grimacing, he pulled out a modified data pad and grabbed a handful of cards. He fed the first one into the pad, then manually altered the filing code to a random date. He nodded at Skywarp to do the same.

With a miserable groan, the other Seeker did the same. They hadn't finished twenty cards before the complaining started.

"This is boring. There's gotta be a faster way."

"Too late now. This is _your _wonderful plan. So, get to work."

Skywarp managed to relabel four more before he burst out, "I can't do this! It's worse than monitor duty. It's torture!"

"You did say this is war. Like the humans say, 'War is hell.'" Thundercracker smiled without humor.

"No, war is explosions, and fighting, and killing. You know, fun stuff. This is – _oh slag!_"

Thundercracker jerked his head up at Skywarp's outburst. Before he could see what caught his trine mate's attention, a voice interrupted him.

"What the frag are you two doing here?"

"Don't you know this place is off limits to you slaggers, unless you have permission," a second voice chimed in right on the heels of the first.

"And you don't," the first voice finished.

Frenzy and Rumble stood, arms crossed, just inside the doorway.

Thundercracker stood, frozen, staring at the two diminutive mechs. Skywarp's grousing and his own retorts had distracted him. He missed hearing the door open. Of course, they'd assumed the Cassettes would stay with Soundwave or be recharging in their shared quarters. And now, faced with their accusations, he couldn't form a reply.

"You're not supposed to be here," Skywarp protested. An inability to speak had never been a problem for him.

"Excuse me?" Rumble asked.

"Of the four of us, we have more right to be here than you two," Frenzy said.

His optics darting between his trine mate and the Cassettes, Thundercracker slid the data pad down and, when he relatively sure the two brothers wouldn't see it, he carefully stowed it away in a hidden compartment. He opened a private comm with Skywarp.

::'Warp! The data pad, hide it! We don't want them knowing what we were doing.::

The purple and black Seeker spared him a quick glance before lowering his own pad out of sight. At that moment, the two brothers strode forward.

"Hey, wait a klik! Are you in the boss' files?" Rumble asked, his vocals filled with horror.

"Those're the Boss' files!" Frenzy answered before the Seekers could.

"What d'ya got there?!"

"You're _stealing_ from the Boss?"

The two Cassettes broke into a sprint as they spied Skywarp trying to secret the data pad away. Slightly ahead of his brother, Frenzy launched himself at the teleporter. Still fumbling with the pad, and surprised at their burst of speed, the purple and black Seeker went down in a screaming heap.

"Get off me!"

"Gimme that!"

::Don't teleport! Do _not _teleport!:: Thundercracker frantically called out to his trine mate as he stepped forward. If Skywarp teleported now, he'd drag Frenzy off with him. Rumble's close proximity was the only thing keeping the Cassette from unleashing his signature weapon: a sonic attack that would disrupt any nearby systems, including Cybertronian ones. And, if Skywarp teleported, he'd be alone against the furious Cassette.

Thundercracker moved forward to help. Scowling, Rumble blocked his path. The smaller mech held his hand, palm up, in front of him.

"Gimme what you stole from the Boss! _Now_, Wings!"

Thundercracker considered himself somewhat intelligent. Certainly more so than his wing mate, Skywarp. But, faced with an irate Rumble, he was lost. Which was worse: let the Cassettes continue believing that they were stealing files from Soundwave, or admit that they were sabotaging those same files? Neither option offered them an easy (or relatively painless) way out of this. Faced with this choice, the blue Seeker said the only thing that came to mind.

"Um."

He wished Starscream was here. The Air Commander could always think of something to say. Granted, it wasn't necessarily a _smart_ thing, but his mouth always managed to spew out something.

Unwilling to wait longer for a reply, Rumble launched himself at the blue Seeker.

Thundercracker sidestepped, dodging the Cassette's charge. He cursed. So much for talking their way out. Rumble spun around, his arms twisting and contorting as they reshaped themselves into his signature piledrivers.

Oh, slag.

"We're inside the _Nemesis_! Under the ocean! You'll breach the hull!" Thundercracker implored, trying to bring some sense back to this insanity.

"Not gonna use it on the floor. Just you," Rumble replied, advancing.

Thundercracker stepped back. Behind Rumble, he could see Skywarp and Frenzy still wrestling. At some point, his trine brother had regained his footing. The Cassettes, while small, were still strong. Perhaps not as strong as a regular sized mech, but they could hold their own in a fight. And these close-quarters did not suit the Seekers' combat style.

Rumble lunged again, one piledriver pulled back, ready to plow through him. Optics wide, Thundercracker parried the attack with his palm, forcing the blow to the side. The Cassette's swing overshot him. The Seeker punched the other's helm, knocking him back on his heels. Unfazed, Rumble charged back in, swinging his other driver.

Thundercracker grimaced. The little mech just wouldn't stop. If only there was some room here, he could transform and actually _move!_ Or at least take flight. But in this little office, he could only step around and resort to fisticuffs. (Oh sure, he could open fire on them, but he was in enough trouble for sabotaging Soundwave's files without trying to kill the other mech's minions. Primus save him if he actually did any permanent damage to the little terrors.)

As Rumble pulled back to swing again, a purple flash burst behind him. Skywarp punched the back of the unprepared mech's helm. Farther away, Frenzy shouted in protest. Rumble staggered. The black and purple Seeker grasped the Cassette and, twisting, tossed him at his oncoming brother.

::Thanks,:: Thundercracker said, over their private comm.

::Anytime. You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that,:: Skywarp replied.

"You cheating glitch! That's not fair!" Frenzy shouted, helping his brother stand.

"Yeah, and his piledrivers are 'fair.'" Skywarp snorted.

"I could always turn up the noise," Frenzy hinted, smirking.

"Uh-huh, so could he!" The teleporter jabbed his finger into Thundercracker's chestplates.

::'Warp, shut up! You know I can't do that. You heard what the Constructicons said they'd do if I ever set off another boom in here!:: Thundercracker suppressed a shudder. He hadn't meant to set off that first sonic boom all those deca-cycles ago – really, he should never drink high grade – but the results had been disastrous to their underwater base. The Constructicons had been very clear (and graphic, oh so graphic) on exactly what they would to do him if he ever did that again.

::You worry too much.::

Frenzy and Rumble – still unsteady on his feet – exchanged glances. They nodded.

"Y'know," Frenzy started, "you two might have beaten us–"

"–except we have something you don't," Rumbled continued.

Frenzy smirked. "Reinforcements."

Thundercracker's optics widened as the implications sunk in. Behind Skywarp, a long patch of shadow detached itself from its surrounding darkness. Twin pinpoints of crimson light blinked to life in its forefront. Before Thundercracker could warn his trine mate, Ravage sprang onto Skywarp's back. The feline clung to him, raking his sensitive wings with his hind claws. Skywarp shrieked.

Thundercracker reached towards his trine brother. Before he took a step, a winged, screeching object collided with his back. Talons dug into the delicate metal of his wings. He barely had time to cover his face before a wickedly sharp beak lunged at his optics. Laserbeak screeched again.

Abandoning stealth – pointless now, since if the Cassettes were here, then Soundwave _had _to know they were too – Thundercracker commed Starscream, ::We have problems!::

No response.

::Starscream, do you copy?!::

Silence.

"Slaggit!" Thundercracker scrabbled to catch the avian 'con scratching at his back. Laserbeak twisted out of reach, snapping at his fingers. Distracted, he didn't see Rumble pounce. The diminutive mech crashed into him, knocking him backwards. Stumbling, off-balance, Thundercracker fell back against a storage cabinet. It rocked ponderously, and then fell with a loud crash. The drawers flew open, spilling several hundreds of data cards across the floor.

The cabinet tripped up his feet. As he fell, he twisted, landing on his back (and the screeching avian 'con). The blue Seeker used his backwards momentum to roll onto his feet. The motion forced Laserbeak to break away. Rumble followed close behind, kicking the data cards out of his path. The Cassette crouched, ready to spring again.

As Rumble lunged forward, a dark, four-legged yowling object intercepted him midair. Limbs thrashing wildly, Ravage plowed into his fellow Cassette, tail first. They fell in a tumble, crashing into another cabinet. More data cards cascaded across the floor.

Skywarp crowed. "Take that, cat! Teach you to bite me! Ha!"

Thundercracker jerked his gaze from side to side. He'd lost sight of Laserbeak, and the avian 'con loved surprise attacks. And Frenzy was, was … meekly walking over to Rumble and Ravage? What? The Cassette moved next to his fellows, optics averted and arms crossed. Rumble and Ravage pulled themselves from the wreckage of the cabinet and data cards. The feline hung his head, tail tucked between his legs. Laserbeak appeared, landing besides the others. He ducked his head down, his beak almost touching the floor. The four of them kept their gaze lowered. Occasionally, one would sneak a fearful glance at the Seekers. Not just fearful. One might call their expressions bordering on terror.

Thundercracker's wings drooped as a sudden, horrible realization stuck. They weren't looking at the trine mates. They were glimpsing _behind_ the Seekers … at the doorway.

"Yeah, that's right, you don't mess with us!"

"Skywarp, shut up," Thundercracker said, his vocals perfectly neutral. He resolutely continued facing forward, away from the entrance.

"What's wrong with you? We won!"

"Stop talking."

"What?!"

Still not turning, Thundercracker raised one finger – paused a moment to insure he had his trine brother's attention – and pointed behind him. From the corner of his optic, he watched the exasperated purple and black Seeker turn around. Then squeal.

"TC! TC! _TC!_" Skywarp stumbled over to him, mouth agape in horror. The teleporter grasped his arm, shaking it frantically. His gaze alternated between his trine mate and the doorway.

"I can hear you, 'Warp."

"TC! Look!"

"I don't want to look. If I look, I'll see him."

Skywarp awarded him with a bewildered glance. Grimacing, Thundercracker threw his arms up in surrender. With a brief look at his wing mate, he turned around.

Soundwave stood in the entrance.

The telepath waited, silent and unmoving. His visor flared brighter than normal, casting crimson highlights on his immediate surroundings. Still not speaking, he considered the toppled cabinets and scattered data cards. His gaze slowly tracked the mayhem until it settled on his four  
>Cassettes. For several long moments, the tape deck stood motionless, silent, considering them.<p>

::I'm so glad I'm not them.::

::Shut up, 'Warp.::

With a slow, deliberate motion, Soundwave reached up, releasing the catch for his chest compartment.

"Buzzsaw, Ratbat: eject."

The two Cassettes flew out, their box-like forms twisting midair as they transformed, wings unfurling, and took flight. Buzzsaw circled around, about to land on the tape deck's shoulder, but after a glance at Soundwave, he reconsidered. Instead, he swerved and perched on the nearest cabinet. With a muttered squawk, he hunched down, optics darting about. His wings fluttered.

Ratbat flipped over in midair, and latched onto the ceiling with his feet and thumb claws. The bat crawled forward, fangs glinting as he grinned at his fellows below.

"Frenzy, Rumble, Ravage, Laserbeak: return."

The telepath's voice held no emotion, no anger, no hint at all what he was thinking, but Thundercracker still winced. He'd have preferred one of Megatron's violent outbursts to this silent waiting. At least that would be over quickly (if painfully).

Silent and optics down, the four Cassettes rushed to do Soundwave's bidding. Ravage and Laserbeak reached him first, their altmodes almost colliding in their rush to obey. The others were a mere moment behind, Frenzy casting a final, petulant glare at the Seekers before he transformed. He and Rumble disappeared into the tape deck's chest compartment. The latch clicked shut.

Soundwave turned towards the Seekers.

"Um, hi...?" Skywarp ventured, raising a hand in a meek wave.

"Just shut up, 'Warp," Thundercracker hissed.

The telepath stared at the purple and black Seeker, without speaking or moving. Fidgeting, Skywarp stared back. Then glanced at his trine mate. Then at the floor. Then the mess of data cards. Then the open door behind Soundwave. His wings twitched.

::I swear to you,:: Thundercracker commed him over a private line, ::if you teleport, I will hunt you down and feed you to scraplets.::

::I wasn't going to! Well, I was going to take you too...::

::He knows where to find us. Let's not make him any madder.::

Soundwave turned his helm towards Thundercracker. He quickly snapped the private comm shut. Not that it mattered. The tape deck was the Communications Officer; he undoubtedly could hack their private comms whenever he wished. Oh, yeah, and he was a telepath. With his impressive gifts, what had the tape deck already learned from Skywarp?

Thundercracker held back a grimace. He hadn't wanted to do any of this. It had all started with 'Warp and his damned 'war.' Then Starscream had to get involved. He might have diffused it, had it just been 'Warp, but not with both of them. They'd dragged him into this slagging mess. Recent events replayed themselves, vividly, as he considered what his trine mates had pulled him into.

The blue Seeker sighed. Now, with an angry telepath standing so close, was not the time to be thinking about those things. He concentrated on blanking out his thoughts.

The events kept replaying through his processor.

Thundercracker gasped. The memories weren't stopping. He tried desperately to think of something, anything, else. But he couldn't. He _couldn't stop remembering._ All his recent memories just kept flowing, unhurried, without his consent. Optics wide, he stared at the mech in front of him. The telepath tilted his head, but said nothing.

Clenching his fists, the blue Seeker remained silent. Nothing he tried altered the free flow of his memories. Thundercracker grimaced. He only hoped Soundwave finished his little processor tour soon.

::What's he doing? Can we go?:: Skywarp asked, reopening the private comm.

::He's reading our processors,:: Thundercracker replied, not caring if the tape deck picked up on their conversation now. Really, what more trouble could they get in?

::Oh. Uh, a bit ago I was thinking about everything we did. I didn't think about him picking up on that. Sorry?::

::I think he caused that. He just did that to me too.::

::Good, then.::

::How's this good?::

::It's not only my fault. I can say you did it too. See? Good.::

::Just … shut up.::

The incessant memory replay caught up to Soundwave's arrival, and faded. Thundercracker's wings slumped in relief. They stiffened again as the tape deck turned and again surveyed the knocked over cabinets and thousands of data cards spilled across the floor. After several (painfully) silent moments, the telepath turned to them.

"Thundercracker, Skywarp: report tomorrow for punishment. Current orders: leave."

"Done and done!" Skywarp nabbed his trine brother's arm and teleported away.

In a purple flash, they arrived in the teleporter's quarters. With an exaggerated sigh, the purple and black Seeker threw himself backwards unto his berth. Thundercracker remained standing. He broadcast a private comm message, but received no reply. He furrowed his brow.

Suddenly, Skywarp giggled.

"Was I the only one who thought he was going to tell us to 'return' too? Primus, I'm glad I'm not one of his Cassettes." He paused, looking up at his wing mate. "TC? What's wrong with you?"

"Starscream was watching Soundwave. Yet Soundwave shows up and he doesn't warn us. I've been trying to comm him, and he's not responding." Thundercracker turned to face his fellow Seeker. "So what happened to Starscream?"

**-o-o-o-**

"Y'know who I hate?"

Thundercracker grunted in reply, busying himself with scrubbing. He already knew the answer.

Skywarp continued, "I hate Soundwave. I hate the Cassettes, all of them. I don't care if Buzzsaw and Ratbat weren't there. Guilty by association. I hate the Constructicons. I hate Mega–"

"_'Warp!_"

"Uh … megaphones. I hate megaphones. But you know who really grinds my gears?"

"Yes," the blue Seeker said with a sigh.

"Starscream. I hate Starscream. I can't believe _he's_ mad at _us_."

"Can you blame him, 'Warp?"

"Yes! There was no way we could have know Megs would come back right then."

Thundercracker grimaced. No, they couldn't have known. But looking back, it made sense. Starscream never willingly volunteered to do the status reports during their leader's absence. For the Air Commander to uncharacteristically do so must have warned Soundwave that he was planning something. Given his past, the tape deck made the logical assumption that he was, once again, plotting against Megatron. At some point, the telepath had sent a message to their volatile leader. Megatron had returned shortly after.

The only ones who knew exactly what happened next were Megatron, Starscream and Soundwave. The end result had left the Air Commander (not surprisingly) in the repair bay. And in an extremely foul mood.

"At least we're in one piece." Thundercracker shook his head. "Starscream can't say that. And who knows when Megatron will clear Hook to finish repairs on him."

"He still can't blame us for that!"

"You should know Starscream by now. He blames anyone for anything. From his perspective, you and, by association sadly, I started this." The blue Seeker grimaced, half in sympathy for his injured trine leader, half from the harsh words the other had spat at them the one time they'd visited him. (After that, Hook had forbade them from returning until Starscream left. The medic did not want to deal with the irate Air Commander's screeching voice anymore than necessary.) Thundercracker pointed at the his wing mate's scrubbing brush, a twin to his own. "Now, back to work."

Skywarp groaned. "This is pointless."

"That's the point."

"I hate Soundwave."

Thundercracker quirked his lip, but didn't reply. He understood Starscream's anger at them, and he understood Soundwave's as well, especially given the mess they'd made of the tape deck's office. That didn't mean he liked it, but he understood it. Therefore, he also understood Skywarp's and his current situation. Again, he certainly did not like it.

They were cleaning the Constructicons' work bay.

Their punishment consisted of a double shift of straightening and cleansing the other mechs' bay until it was, in Soundwave's words, "condition: perfect." In and of itself, not a pleasant job, but not too arduous. However, at least two Constructicons were also always assigned in the bay with them. The combiners loved nothing more than providing extra work for their new 'assistants.' Oil drums spilled, stacked beams toppled (Skywarp's teleportation had saved them from being crushed), molten metal 'accidentally' spewed across the floor, bolts and bearing scattered everywhere (many at suspiciously high velocity and with remarkable aim), and numerous other mishaps. By the time the double shift had ended, the work bay was usually in slightly worse shape than when Thundercracker and Skywarp had arrived.

The two Seekers finally thought they had received a break when Megatron summoned the Constucticons away for a mission. The relief was short lived, however, because moments after that, Soundwave had commed them, ordering them to another menial task. Their punishment in the Constructicons' bay had resumed as soon as the combiners returned.

After almost a deca-cycle of this, they'd accomplished almost nothing toward cleaning the bay.

A loud staccato crack of metal striking metal interrupted Thundercracker's musing. Crying out, Skywarp grasped his wing. Mixmaster and Bonecrusher – the two Constructicons currently in residence – burst into laughter. The teleporter rose to his feet, snarling. Thundercracker grabbed his trine mate's arm, keeping him in place and trying desperately to ignore the combiners' comments about how many points that shot was worth.

::Lemme go, TC! I'm sick of it!::

::You can get them back later. Right now, Hook won't fix us, because of Starscream. You get slagged up, you're on your own.::

::You'd back me up, wouldn't you?::

::Of course, but even with Hook busy, there's four of them and two of us. And we can't fly in here. Just wait. You're at your best when mechs aren't expecting it. Wait.::

Skywarp glared at the chuckling Constructicons, but crouched back down and resumed scrubbing. ::It's war now.::

::Primus, don't start that again. You and your 'war' got us into this.::

::I'm thinking the blue stuff.::

Thundercracker stared at his trine brother. ::Huh?::

::To filch. For Screamer. What did you think I was talking about?::

::Constructicons and war. What are you talking about now?::

::I'm talking about getting out of this damned punishment.:: Skywarp looked at the blue Seeker as if the other was extremely slow.

::How did Constucticons and war lead to stealing blue 'stuff' for Starscream? Make sense!::

::I don't want to be here, so how do we normally get out of Soundwave's punishments?::

::Correction,:: Thundercracker pointed a finger at his wing mate, ::how do _you_ normally get out of Soundwave's punishments? He doesn't usually punish me.::

::Whatever. Screamer counters the order.::

::Except he usually just does that to annoy Soundwave. And he's mad at us right now. I don't see him helping us.::

::Right! So, I'm going to nab that blue stuff there.:: Skywarp nodded at the Constructicons' chemical cabinet. ::Sometimes, if I've maybe ground Screamer's gears a little the wrong way, I get him some sciencey stuff, and he forgets he's mad. He likes to identify it and sometimes, I think, it's stuff that Megs doesn't want him to have. I dunno.:: The teleporter shrugged.

::Let me get this straight. The last time we saw Starscream, he threatened to dissect us, smelt us down and then use the scraps to make shrapnel. Yes?::

::Yeah, among other things.::

::And you want to give him hazardous chemicals? You don't see a problem with that, given his current attitude towards us?::

::See, that's the thing. He'll know it was me, and won't be mad anymore. Or, at least, as mad.::

::That's stupid, 'Warp.::

::It can't hurt.::

::Actually, I think hazardous chemicals could hurt a lot.::

::It'll work.:: Skywarp glanced around the work bay. Sighing loudly through his vents, he said aloud, "This just isn't fair."

"At least we have some freedom. No one's seen the Rumble, Frenzy or the other two since that day."

The purple and black Seeker waggled a finger. "Not entirely true. Reflector said–"

"Since when do you speak with Reflector?"

"Fine. I spoke with Brawl, who 'spoke' with Reflector," Skywarp pantomimed punching an invisible foe wrapped under his arm, "and he said that he saw Frenzy and Rumble cleaning up all the data cards. They were running them through readers and filing them."

Thundercracker grunted thoughtfully. Then chuckled.

"What?"

"If you think about it, you did get your vengeance on those two." Thundercracker grinned at his trine mate. "They have no idea how many of the cards we relabeled. They have to check every single one. Several thousand of them. You were going crazy after just a handful. How do think they're doing?"

Skywarp snickered. "You know what, TC? I have to agree with you, what you said that night. War is hell."

* * *

><p>End Note: My apologies for the long wait on this. I hope it was worth it. My computer crashed twice, and I had to recover and rewrite some of it each time. I admit I got frustrated, especially after the second computer death. My next two stories (not the flash ones) don't fit into the "All for One" theme (one Seeker getting the others in trouble), although they will still be humor. Therefore, they won't be posted as chapters here. Instead, they'll be one-shots. They will still fit into the AfO setting, one in present day and one pre-war.<p> 


	8. Haunted

Title: Haunted  
>Pairings: None<br>Rating: G  
>Warnings: None<br>Author's Note: While this doesn't technically fit the "All for One" theme, I thought it was close enough to include it as a chapter. This is PaDiYaFLAME's (from deviantART) long overdue prize fic for catching my kiriban. She requested a "prank war" between some well known pranksters. Looking back at her note, I'm not exactly sure this is what she had in mind. I hope she likes it. Time conversions – Klik: approx. 1 min, Joor: 6 hours, Deca-cycle: approx. 3 weeks, Vorn: 83 years.

Special thanks to DragonDancer5150 for beta reading this for me! :D

* * *

><p>Assigning five Decepticons to scout a power plant might, under normal circumstances, seem like overkill. Located near a river, the plant sprawled over a large, otherwise uninhabited stretch of land. Concrete buildings with tall chimneys, storage facilities, stacks, and numerous generators comprised the complex. Paved paths and roads connected everything, surrounded by a huge expanse of chain-link fence. It was a gleaming example of human industrialism. That was, until the Decepticons came and blew it to slag.<p>

The humans had been evacuated a solar cycle earlier, during a strafing run (whose sole purpose had been to create an unsafe environment for the organics). To hide their true objective, several other power plants across the continent had also been targeted in separate attacks. Now, during the planet's night cycle, they were back, their mission to determine if the facilities remained operational enough to provide some relatively unguarded power. Three Seekers and two Cassettes were more than capable of that task.

Shortly after arriving, Starscream announced he had more important things to attend to. And left.

That left two Seekers and two Cassettes. Still, the four were perfectly capable of carrying out their mission. Frenzy and Rumble infiltrated the buildings, their smaller frames fitting easily inside. Thundercracker and Skywarp patrolled outside. The Aerialbots had been spotted nearby, so the Seekers were on hand in case their Autobot counterparts arrived. Their need for stealth forced the two to remain earthbound. Even humans would notice thrusters against a clear night sky like this one.

No part of the plan involved them standing, in the open, arguing.

"You idiotic, brainless–" Frenzy began.

"– worthless, scrap-headed –" Rumble cut in.

"– piece of slag! Look what you did!" Frenzy finished, jabbing a finger at the oil covering almost the entirety of Rumble's and his chassis.

"You two started it! I was just getting even for those little speakers you put everywhere. I chased those all over the place!" Skywarp loomed over the smaller Decepticons, taking full advantage of the height difference. He didn't have many opportunities to loom, and the few chances he did get, he used as best he could.

His audience ignored the posturing. The Cassettes exchanged glances, then snickered. Frenzy said, "You gotta admit, that was funny."

"Oh, yeah." Rumble nodded, smirking.

"Sorry to interrupt this fascinating conversation, but has anyone determined if this place is still a viable source of energy?" Thundercracker cut in, arms crossed. "You know, that's why we're here? Megatron's orders, and all?"

"Hey," Rumble protested, "we were following orders, until purple, black and stupid here decided to seal the door behind us. Then, it was time to get even."

"We had shoot our way out," Frenzy said.

"I didn't seal the door!"

The Cassettes shook their heads in unison. Rumble pointed between his brother and himself. "We didn't seal ourselves in."

As one, the three arguing mechs turned to Thundercracker.

"Don't look at me." The blue Seeker waved a dismissive hand at them. He continued scanning the skies. One of them needed to stay on guard. At least the nearby river covered the abundant noise the trio was making.

He bit back a sigh. Had Starscream stayed, more work would actually get done. The Cassettes didn't particularly respect the Air Commander, but Skywarp did. Enough, at least, to stay somewhat on task when he was present. Without the teleporter's antics, the two brothers would stay more or less focused. As it was, they seemed more interested in their own bickering than listening to Thundercracker.

"Wait," Skywarp said, holding up a finger, "if I didn't seal the door, and we know TC is too boring to–"

"Thanks."

"– and I'm pretty sure you didn't seal yourselves in, then who did?"

"I'm still going with the obvious, and saying it was you," Frenzy said.

"But it wasn't." Skywarp opened his mouth to continue, then snapped it shut again. He glanced around hurriedly, then whispered, "Maybe it was … ghosts!"

Thundercracker shuttered his optics, wings slumped. The Cassette brothers burst into laughter.

"You were right," Frenzy said, nudging his brother, "purple, black and stupid."

"'Warp, there's no such thing as ghosts. I can't believe…" Thundercracker held his hands apart in exasperation and let the statement fade, unable to continue that train of thought.

"Not on Cybertron, but we're on Earth. And the humans have all kinds of stories about ghosts. They even have television shows. You have to have seen them. Why would they have all that, if they weren't real?"

"I'll answer that one," Rumble replied, pretending to buff some dust from his arm and succeeding only in flinging oil around. "They're organics. In other words, stupid."

"They have books and all kinds of proof, though. Scientist have done studies. Ghosts are real."

Thundercracker covered his optics. "'Warp–"

"_Ghost!_" Frenzy shrieked, clutching his brother's arm and pointing into the shadows.

Skywarp screamed. He spun around, moving too quickly for his feet and unbalancing himself. Stumbling, he fell against his trine mate. Confused, Thundercracker alternated his gaze between his terrified wing mate and the spot Frenzy indicated. Nothing was there.

The Cassettes collapsed in laughter.

"Oh, funny. Ha ha." Skywarp picked himself up, untangling himself from his trine mate. "You two are – _frag! Ghost!_" He fell backward against Thundercracker again.

"Really?" Rumble asked.

"We ain't falling for our own trick," Frenzy said.

Thundercracker shoved his trine brother away. He shook his head, grimacing.

"I'm not joking! Something just moved back there!"

"'Warp, just … stop."

"TC, I'm serious. And will you two stop laughing at me!"

"You're worse than a fleshy!" Rumble said, cackling so hard his words were barely decipherable.

"Yeah, at least they … uh, wait. Did anyone just see that?" Frenzy abruptly quit laughing. He stared hard into the shadows.

"I'm nothing like a fleshy!"

"Yer just as soft in the head as them!"

"Hey, bro…?"

"Can we please get back to our mission?"

"My head's plenty hard!"

"I won't argue that."

"Rumble…?"

"No, not like that! You know what I meant."

"No one knows what you mean."

"Rumble, you aft-faced, rust-geared, slag-filled, Dinobot-loving Autobot! I'm talking to you!"

Rumble, Skywarp and Thundercracker turned to Frenzy. The latter alternated between glaring at them and shooting apprehensive glances back into the darkness.

"Something wrong, bro?" Rumble asked.

"Did anyone else just see that thing zip past between those buildings?" Frenzy pointed at a narrow path, nestled between two structures. A road and a few distant lights were visible on the far side.

"Okay," Thundercracker said, holding up his hands for their attention, "as of now, that joke is officially not funny. Actually, it wasn't funny long before now. Let's just stop."

"As hard as it may be to believe this, I'm not joking." Frenzy kept his optics trained on the empty path. Rumble moved up beside his brother, followed closely by Skywarp. While the Seeker stared ahead, the Cassette was more interested in his counterpart.

"You're right. I don't believe that," the blue Seeker countered.

"I ain't messing with you, really," Frenzy said, his vocals in a rare serious tone. As he spoke, his gaze alternated between Thundercracker and his brother. Rumble snorted, shaking his head. Frenzy held his arms out. "I ain't!"

"It's the ghost!" Skywarp said, backing away from the buildings, optics wide.

"You should be thankful Starscream left. He'd have shot you by now," Thundercracker muttered. Turning to leave, he said, "Enough. Time to get back … to … okay, who moved those?"

Several structures away, the humans had stacked several large (for humans) boxes against a wall. However, instead of a neat pile, now three of them were in a line across the street. The Cassettes spun around as one. Skywarp stared at the crates in question, open-mouthed.

"Um," Frenzy said.

"Huh," Rumble added.

"Thank you. That's helpful," Thundercracker growled at the Cassettes. He spared a glance at the panic-stricken expression on his trine mate's face. Discounting that possibility, he addressed to the two brothers. "Stop playing around. It's not funny."

Rumble and Frenzy exchanged bewildered looks. Frenzy held his arms wide, shrugging. His brother returned the gesture. They pointed at the boxes and whispered urgently amidst each other. Thundercracker sighed through his vents. He narrowed his optics at the troublemakers.

They turned back to him, optics wide and face plates clear of any visible mischief. Rumble stammered, "We didn't move 'em. Promise, we didn't do that."

The blue Seeker considered them for a moment, two fingers tapping a slow beat against his leg. He cursed softly. "I'm calling Starscream. Something's weird here, and I'm sick of dealing with it."

Frenzy opened his mouth, then shut it, shooting a quick glance at his brother. Rumble rubbed the back of his neck, wincing.

Thundercracker opened a private comm channel with his trine leader. Static flooded his comm. "What the slag is going on around here?"

"Um, yeah, okay, we _did _do that." Rumble shrugged, holding his arms wide.

"You did what …?"

"We, y'know, blocked the comms."

"And why would you do that?"

"So 'Warp wouldn't be able to comm you, of course." Rumble shrugged again, a forced smile across his face.

Frenzy nodded, matching his brother's expression. "Yeah, where's the fun if he calls you for help?"

Thundercracker crossed his arms, fingers clenching tightly. "What if the Autobots had attacked? Or what if we needed to contact the _Nemesis_? Did you think of that?"

"It's okay! The jamming device is over there, just inside that building." Rumble pointed towards the main building. Its door hung open, lopsided, damaged from when the Cassettes had shot their way out earlier.

"It's no problem!" Frenzy agreed.

"Fine, whatever," Thundercracker said, waving them off. Not caring if the others followed, he strode off to find the jamming device. He briefly considered taking flight, but they were under orders to remain discreet. Until he could prove that the brothers were causing the odd occurrences (or, on the very slight chance they weren't), he would continue acting as if there might be enemies here. Besides, there was the very real chance of an Aerialbot patrol detecting them. He kept his audios at maximum acuity, but the nearby river limited their usefulness. The interference from the damaged reactors made his sensors unreliable, at best.

They moved forward; Thundercracker leading, Skywarp uncomfortably close at his heels and the two brothers bringing up the rear. The teleporter craned his head side to side, optics scanning every dark corner. As they reached the building, Thundercracker bent low, peering through the entrance. A main desk dominated the reception area, with hallways branching off to either side and a doorway behind it. He saw no evidence of any Cybertronian devices.

He turned around, glaring at the two brothers.

"What?" Rumble asked. He gestured at the entrance. "It's right inside."

Frenzy stepped forward, opening the door. "Yeah, it's right her– uh …" He paused. The Cassette glanced around the tiled floor. Grabbing the door, he peeked behind it. "Problem. It's gone."

Rumble hurried in behind his brother. He spun in a complete circle, scanning the room. Turning abruptly, he shoved Frenzy with enough force that the other Cassette stumbled. "What did you do with it?"

"Nothing! You were the last one out!" Frenzy pushed back.

Rumble, ready for the attack, grabbed his brother's shoulders. The two struggled, pushing and cursing, an occasional kick thrown in. Thundercracker glowered at the two. How angry would Megatron be if he just left? But then he'd have an annoyed Soundwave to deal with as well. The tape deck would not approve of him abandoning the Cassettes, no matter how much they deserved it. Oh, and Starscream too. The Air Commander would get punished regardless for leaving, but if they didn't complete their mission, his punishment would be even more severe. And he'd (eventually, once he recovered) take out his anger on his trine mates.

What was worse, three furious superior officers or two infuriating Cassette brothers?

An engine sputtered to life behind them.

The four Decepticons froze. The rumbling noise echoed around them. Fight forgotten, the Cassettes peered out into the darkness. Skywarp, spinning around and stumbling backwards into the building, raised his arm-mounted gun and jerked his weapon back and forth, searching for a target. Thundercracker paused, still kneeling near the entrance.

He'd been watching the brothers when the engine ignited. They hadn't triggered any switches. And the comms were still jammed. Even they, mischievous minions of Soundwave himself, couldn't have remotely started it like that. Not now. That left one possibility.

They weren't alone.

With slow, deliberate movements, the blue Seeker stood and turned around. His weapons hummed to life. Unable to detect anything with his optics, he focused on his audios. He analyzed the echoes, shifting through the varying magnitudes, finding the noise's origin. Focusing on one building, he raised his firearm, optics narrowed.

A two-seated, short range vehicle rumbled from behind the structure. The human-made cart had no windows or doors, giving them a clear view of the driver. Or lack thereof.

The cart drove itself.

On Cybertron, seeing a vehicle without an operator was expected. But here, on a planet filled with organics, seeing one of their machines running itself was unnerving. The four Decepticons gaped as the comparatively tiny vehicle sputtered and rumbled away, disappearing out of view behind another building. A few moments later, the engine cut off.

Thundercracker turned to the others. "You all just stood here? Why didn't anyone investigate that?"

"I didn't see you rush off either," Rumble pointed out.

The blue Seeker grimaced. He'd been busy trying to formulate a rational explanation for the mounting number of odd occurrences. He'd failed, badly. There had to be logical reason for this.

"It's the ghost," Skywarp whispered.

Skywarp never cared for logic.

"Shut up, 'Warp. There's no such thing as ghosts," Thundercracker said with a glare. "Here's the plan: I'll investigate that thing." He pointed toward the last known location of the cart. "'Warp, you stay on watch. No, not for ghosts. Autobots. Or humans. You two, split up and find that jamming device."

The protests were loud and immediate.

"Splitting up? Really?" Frenzy asked.

"Have you seen any of the fleshies' horror movies? Bad idea, Wings," Rumble spoke over his brother.

"I can keep lookout just as well next to you," Skywarp added.

Thundercracker stared at them, considering the various comments he could say; logical arguments, threats, insults, a whole plethora of options flashed through his processor. Millennia in Starscream's presence had familiarized him with some very colorful language. Clenching his fists, he settled for, "Whatever."

They – the other three followed Thundercracker to investigate the cart – found the small vehicle butted against the building's posterior wall. A quick scan confirmed its terrestrial origins, and he could find no remote control devices attached. The keys hung from the ignition.

"See? Keys. Perfectly normal car." Thundercracker nodded in satisfaction.

Frenzy pointed to the floor of the vehicle. "See? Gas petal. Perfectly abnormal car, driving itself with nothing pushing that."

"Oh." The blue Seeker sighed through his vents. He'd forgotten about that. Ground vehicles were so cumbersome.

"It's the–" Skywarp said.

"Don't say it," Thundercracker interrupted, a finger held up in warning. He glanced over the cart. There was a logical, non-ghost related, explanation here. He knew it.

* * *

><p>"This is fun and all," Sideswipe said, his vocals low, "but I'm really wishing for some action. I think my jet judo skills are starting to rust." He casually tossed a brick from hand to hand.<p>

"I'm all for a good round of judo, especially with two targets so handy," his twin, Sunstreaker, replied, nodding towards the distant Seekers. The two Lamborghini brothers crouched behind a nearby building, keeping the Decepticons in sight. "But Prime ordered us to wait until the others get here. And I've had," he paused and did a silent calculation, "fifteen too many of Prowl's speeches this deca-cycle. One more and I may suffer permanent stasis lock. By choice."

"Only fifteen? I thought we'd gotten more than that."

"I'm not counting when we gave Grimlock that drippy energon cube. Prowl couldn't prove anything." Sunstreaker snickered, remembering the volatile Dinobot's tantrum over his energon continually spilling down his front. No, no one could prove the twins' involvement. That technicality didn't spare them from 'tantrum cleanup duty.'

"We don't need the others," Sideswipe said. "The way I see it, we outnumber them." He pointed at their distant enemies. "I see one Decepticon patrol. And we're two, highly qualified, skilled and aft-kicking warriors. Two against one. We win."

His twin smirked, not arguing his logic. "Good point. Still, Optimus did say…"

"Yeah, yeah." Still fiddling with the brick, Sideswipe gazed thoughtfully at the Decepticons. "So, any thoughts on what to do next?"

"I was thinking the old 'slamming open doors shut' trick. That building's got bay doors in the back. We could sneak out easy before those idiots got to it."

"Cliché, don't you think?"

"It's ghost stories. Everything's cliché." Sunstreaker shrugged.

"They gonna fall for that?"

"They fell for the 'brick on the gas petal' trick," Sunstreaker said, pointing at the brick his twin still held. "Why not slamming doors?"

"Okay." Sideswipe nodded. "But I hope we get a few good swings in when the others get here. I just know our target dummies are gonna show typical Decepticon courage and run away."

Sunstreaker turned to his twin with a grin. "They just can't handle how awesome we are."


End file.
